In 6 charts: Budget report card on defence, exports revival, Olympic dreams
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2025-26 on Saturday. The Budget presents a chance for the government to show its intent on some of the burning issues of our times. In this four-part series, we use charts to illustrate how the Budget performed on 15 key concerns. Part 3 looks at defence spending, trade, and India's Olympics dreams. Each topic has a pair of charts—one presenting the context the Budget faced, and the other showing what Sitharaman delivered. Also read Part 1 and Part 2. Defence priorities: India has the world’s fourth-largest military spending, and the defence ministry is one of the top ministries in terms of budget allocations.
However, despite the increase in allocation each year, the defence budget has contracted significantly, declining from 2.8% of GDP in 2009-10 to close to 2%. Geopolitical tensions shimmering all over the world, India’s hostile relations with China and Pakistan, and a change of regime in Bangladesh call for more focus on defence funding. Exports revival: With Donald Trump returning as the US President, the whole world is sitting on the edge with his tariff threats.
India is particularly vulnerable: the share of its exports in GDP has struggled to reach even 15% in recent years, and the US is one of its main trade partners. At the same time, the expenditure by the department of commerce on central sector schemes has been lacklustre despite having set the goal of ₹1 trillion in goods exports by 2030. Also read | In 10 charts: Budget 2025 report card on railways, roads, education and health Olympics dreams: India is eyeing a massive opportunity to host the Olympics in 2036, with the country formally sending a letter
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