Poland to spend 2.5 percent of its GDP on defence from 2026

Poland’s defence spending will rise to 2.5 percent of GDP in 2026, according to draft legislation, well above the informal 2-percent goal set by Nato.

The new defence bill, which was published on Friday in the government’s legislative agenda, assumes a gradual growth of budget spending on defence from 2.2 percent of the country's GDP in 2022 to 2.5 percent in 2026.

Under the current law, the 2.5-percent mark is due to be reached by 2030.

At the same time, the number of personnel in the Polish armed forces is expected to increase, although the exact rate will be set out in a government programme on military development.

In October, Mariusz Blaszczak, the Polish defence minister, announced the forces will increase from the current level of 140,000 to 300,000 personnel in both full-time and territorial units.

The costs of strengthening Poland's defences will be partly covered by a dedicated armed forces fund.