According to NATO estimates, Croatia last year met the target set by the allies for investing at least 2 percent of GDP in defence and significantly surpassed the target of earmarking at least 20 percent of the defence budget for equipment.

Last year’s purchase of fighter jets significantly increased Croatia’s defence budget.

According to a report presented by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday, NATO estimates that, last year, Croatia increased its defence budget to 2.16 percent of GDP from 1.71 percent in 2020 and that 30.6 percent of its defence outlays were earmarked for equipment.

NATO member states committed in 2014 to increasing their defence budgets to at least 2 percent of GDP by 2024 and to set aside at least 20 percent of the defence outlays for military equipment.

Greece earmarked the most for defence last year, 3.59 percent of GDP, followed by the United States (3.57 percent), Poland (2.34 percent), the UK (2.25 percent) and Croatia, Estonia, and Latvia (2.16 percent each).

The allies which earmarked the least for defence were Slovenia (1.22 percent), Belgium (1.07 percent), Spain (1.03 percent) and Luxembourg (0.54 percent).

Greece also set aside the most for military equipment, investing 38.8% of its military budget, followed by Luxembourg (38.2 percent), Hungary (37.2 percent), Poland (33 percent), Turkey (30.7 percent), Croatia (30.6 percent), and the US (29.4 percent).

The allies which set aside the least for military equipment in their defence budgets were Albania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Canada, Portugal, and Germany, ranging from 14.9 to 18.6 percent.

Two-thirds of Croats support NATO

Last year, NATO commissioned a public opinion poll on its perception, which showed that 67 percent of Croats were for membership in NATO, 13 percent were against, while the rest did not know.

NATO has the highest support in Poland (84 percent), Albania and Lithuania (82 percent each), and Romania and Portugal (79 percent each), while support is lowest in Slovakia (46 percent), Montenegro and France (50 percent each).

Almost 7 in 10 Croats believe NATO membership reduces likelihood of a third country’s attack

Sixty-nine percent of Croats believe that membership reduces the likelihood of a third country’s attack.

This percentage is highest in Lithuania (76 percent) and lowest in the US (42 percent).