Deployed nuclear warheads up 100 in 2025 as nine states modernize arsenals – SIPRI
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The world’s nine nuclear-armed states increased deployed warheads by about 100 in 2025, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s 2026 report. Total global inventory stands at an estimated 12,187 warheads, with roughly 4,012 deployed on missiles and aircraft. The buildup continues 81 years after the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed an estimated half a million people.
Atomic Bombings of 1945
The United States dropped the 'Little Boy' bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying 70% of the city and killing an estimated 140,000 people by year-end. Three days later, the 'Fat Man' bomb struck Nagasaki, causing approximately 74,000 deaths. Japan surrendered unconditionally on Aug. 15, ending World War II. Japanese officials estimate total casualties from the two attacks, including radiation-induced cancers and other effects, at around half a million.
The Nuclear Club
Nine states are assessed as possessing nuclear weapons: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. Israel remains the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East. More than 2,000 nuclear tests were conducted worldwide before the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was adopted in 1996. The U.S. led with 1,032 tests between 1945 and 1996, followed by the Soviet Union with 715 tests from 1949 to 1990.
2025 Arsenal Data
SIPRI reports that as of January 2026, the global nuclear inventory totaled an estimated 12,187 warheads. Of these, 9,745 were in military stockpiles for potential use, and 4,012 were deployed on missiles and aircraft—an increase of about 100 from the previous year. An estimated 2,100 to 2,200 deployed warheads are kept on high operational alert, with Russia and the United States accounting for nearly all of them. The remaining warheads are held in central storage.
What's Next
SIPRI notes that modernization programs are expected to continue, with both the U.S. and Russia upgrading their nuclear triads. It remains unclear whether the next review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty will produce new commitments to cap deployed warhead numbers.
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Deployed nuclear warheads up 100 in 2025 as nine states modernize arsenals – SIPRI
