Global Nuclear Arsenals Grow as Arms Control Weakens, SIPRI Reports

The global nuclear landscape is entering a new era marked by the end of decades-long reductions in warhead stockpiles, as nuclear-armed states intensify modernization programs and expand their arsenals. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the total number of nuclear warheads worldwide is estimated at 12,241 in January 2025, with about 9,614 actively held in military stockpiles and around 2,100 on high operational alert, mainly by the U.S. and Russia. Both the U.S. and Russia maintain roughly 90% of the world's nuclear weapons and are engaged in extensive modernization efforts, despite some setbacks and delays, with expectations of future increases in warhead deployments especially after the New START treaty expires in 2026 without a current successor. China is the fastest-growing nuclear power, adding approximately 100 warheads annually since 2023 and potentially matching the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capacities of the U.S. and Russia by the 2030s, driven by strategic goals to become a global military power and counter U.S. missile defenses. The nine nuclear states continue to abandon arms control agreements amid heightened nuclear rhetoric, signaling a deteriorating international security environment and a resurgence of a dangerous nuclear arms race. This shift underscores an urgent need for renewed arms control efforts to prevent further escalation and ensure global stability.