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Qabil Ashirov

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The world's nine nuclear-armed states continued to modernize and expand their nuclear arsenals in 2025, while increasingly treating nuclear weapons as instruments of national power, AzerNEWS reports, citing the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

As of January 2026, the global nuclear inventory stood at 12,187 warheads, of which 9,745 were retained in military stockpiles for potential use. Among them, 4,012 warheads were deployed on missiles and aircraft, while an estimated 2,100 to 2,200 were maintained in a state of high operational readiness.

"Almost all of these warheads belonged to either Russia or the United States, with smaller numbers held by France and the United Kingdom. However, China and India are now capable of periodically deploying a limited number of missiles during peacetime," SIPRI experts noted.

The report's authors said that since the end of the Cold War, the gradual dismantlement of warheads in Russia and the United States had generally outpaced the deployment of new systems, leading to an overall decline in the global nuclear stockpile.

"That trend is likely to reverse in the coming years as the pace of retirements slows and the deployment of new nuclear weapons accelerates," the report stated. "Nuclear-armed states are increasingly sidelining, and in some cases abandoning, their disarmament commitments. Instead, there is growing evidence that they are placing greater emphasis on demonstrating and strengthening their nuclear capabilities."

According to SIPRI, Russia and the United States together possess approximately 83 percent of the world's operational nuclear warheads. China is estimated to have around 620 nuclear warheads and has expanded its arsenal at a faster pace than any other country. Beijing also showcased several new nuclear-capable systems during a military parade in 2025.

The report noted that both the United Kingdom and France are expected to increase their nuclear warhead stockpiles in the coming years.

India and Pakistan also modestly expanded their nuclear arsenals in 2025 and continued developing new delivery systems for their weapons.

SIPRI estimates that North Korea possesses around 60 nuclear warheads and has sufficient fissile material to produce at least 30 more. Israel, which has never publicly acknowledged possessing nuclear weapons, is also believed to be modernizing its nuclear arsenal.