Nato-member defense spending may come back into focus as former US President Donald Trump returns to office.

       Republican Trump, 78, was elected president on Wednesday, defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. He previously served as US president from 2017 to 2021.

       In congratulating Trump on his election, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that "two-thirds of Allies now spend at least 2 per cent of their GDP on defence, and defence spending and production are on an onward trajectory across the Alliance."

       In the past, Trump has been critical of Nato, accusing European members of spending too little on defence.

       Nato members are committed to spending at least 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence.

       Nato estimated that in 2024 Poland leads the alliance by spending 4.12% of GDP on defence followed by Estonia at 3.43% and the U.S. at 3.38%.

       Nato defence expenditure estimates as a share of GDP in 2024:

       Poland 4.12

       Estonia 3.43

       United States 3.38

       Latvia 3.15

       Greece 3.08

       Lithuania 2.85

       Finland 2.41

       Denmark 2.37

       United Kingdom 2.33

       Romania 2.25

       North Macedonia 2.22

       Norway 2.20

       Bulgaria 2.18

       Sweden 2.14

       Germany 2.12

       Hungary 2.11

       Czechia 2.10

       Türkiye 2.09

       France 2.06

       Netherlands 2.05

       Albania 2.03

       Montenegro 2.02

       Slovak Republic 2.00

       Croatia 1.81

       Portugal 1.55

       Italy 1.49

       Canada 1.37

       Belgium 1.30

       Luxembourg 1.29

       Slovenia 1.29

       Spain 1.28

       Source: NATO estimates REUTERS