Armed forces and defence agencies in Europe: what they buy and who supplies them
Buyers declaring "Defence" as their main activity, across the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
In proportion
General government spending on goods, services and investment for defence in the EU-27 came to €133 billion in 2024 (Eurostat, COFOG). How much of it reaches suppliers through tenders depends on how the country organises the sector — for example whether statutory health insurance is classified in government.
Source: Eurostat, government finance statistics (gov_10a_main, gov_10a_exp) and GDP (nama_10_gdp), retrieved 9 November 2026.
The market in numbers
Public supply contracts in Europe: award notices published on TED from 2023-11 to 2026-11, by publication year.
- Contracts awarded
- 44.1K
- in 12.3K award notices
- Awarded value
- €28B
- from 59% of awards with a published value
- Suppliers
- 7.9K
- with at least one award
- Public buyers
- 542
- in this sector
Table view
| Nov–Dec 2023 | 453 |
| 2024 | 14,081 |
| 2025 | 13,658 |
| 2026 | 15,881 |
Table view
| Nov–Dec 2023 | €366M |
| 2024 | €5.4B |
| 2025 | €8.8B |
| 2026 | €14B |
- Medical equipments1,856
- Other38,579
Table view
| Parts and accessories for vehicles and their engines | 3,104 |
| Miscellaneous food products | 3,007 |
| Food, beverages, tobacco and related products | 2,926 |
| Cereals, potatoes, vegetables, fruits and nuts | 2,415 |
| Animal products, meat and meat products | 2,332 |
| Medical equipments | 1,856 |
| Pharmaceutical products | 1,622 |
| Fruit, vegetables and related products | 1,550 |
| Other | 38,579 |
- Romania16,847732 companies
- Poland9,6431,219 companies
- Germany3,399728 companies
- Estonia2,047615 companies
- Spain1,831619 companies
- Czechia1,757571 companies
- Lithuania1,654284 companies
- France1,137663 companies
- Latvia756247 companies
- Slovakia688162 companies
Table view
| Romania | 16,847 |
| Poland | 9,643 |
| Germany | 3,399 |
| Estonia | 2,047 |
| Spain | 1,831 |
| Czechia | 1,757 |
| Lithuania | 1,654 |
| France | 1,137 |
| Latvia | 756 |
| Slovakia | 688 |
- Large companies
- Medium-sized
- Small
- Micro
- SME (size not stated)
- Size not stated
Table view
| Large companies | 5,591 · 12.7% |
| Medium-sized | 8,690 · 19.7% |
| Small | 9,338 · 21.2% |
| Micro | 1,495 · 3.4% |
| SME (size not stated) | 6,209 · 14.1% |
| Size not stated | 12,750 · 28.9% |
- Belgium177
- United Kingdom167
- Germany138
- Spain110
- United States104
- Netherlands92
Table view
| Belgium | 177 |
| United Kingdom | 167 |
| Germany | 138 |
| Spain | 110 |
| United States | 104 |
| Netherlands | 92 |
Awards to companies registered in the buyer's own country
96.4%
1,600 awards went to companies registered elsewhere.
Share of the 5 biggest winners
7.5%
Of all awards; a high share means a concentrated market.
Lots with a single bid
28.6%
Among 40.3K awards whose notice states the number of tenders.
How we count: one award per procedure, lot and winning company, from live contract award notices; a joint procurement counts on every buyer's market. Values are the awarded amounts published in the notice (framework ceilings and estimates are never added), converted to euro at the ECB yearly average. Company size is the SME flag of the notice (eForms BT-165). Read the methodology.
Questions
- What do armed forces and defence agencies in Europe buy through public tenders?
- Mostly parts and accessories for vehicles and their engines (3,104 awards), miscellaneous food products (3,007 awards), food, beverages, tobacco and related products (2,926 awards) — 44,073 supply contracts in total since November 2023.
- How much is it worth?
- The 26,096 awards with a published value add up to €28B; the rest are framework ceilings or undisclosed amounts, which we never add.
All sectors in Europe · Europe by product category
Source: contract award notices on TED — Tenders Electronic Daily (ted.europa.eu), © European Union, published since November 2023; processed by Cresques. Numbers updated 2026-11-13.