Nine nuclear-armed nations, including the US, Russia, France, China, India, and Pakistan, continued to modernize their nuclear arsenals and deployed n+ew nuclear-capable weapon systems in 2023, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released on Monday.
SIPRI’s analysis indicated that China’s nuclear arsenal grew from 410 warheads in January 2023 to 500 in January 2024, with expectations of further growth. The report noted that approximately 2,100 deployed warheads were maintained in a state of high operational alert on ballistic missiles, with nearly all of these belonging to Russia or the US. However, for the first time, China is believed to have some warheads on high operational alert.
The report stated that the nine nuclear-armed states — the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel — continued to modernize their nuclear arsenals, with several deploying new nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable weapon systems in 2023.
Of the estimated global inventory of 12,121 warheads in January 2024, about 9,585 were in military stockpiles for potential use. An estimated 3,904 of these warheads were deployed with missiles and aircraft, an increase of 60 from January 2023, with the remainder in central storage.
“Around 2,100 of the deployed warheads were kept in a state of high operational alert on ballistic missiles. Nearly all of these warheads belonged to Russia or the US, but for the first time, China is believed to have some warheads on high operational alert,” the report stated.
The think-tank also noted that India, Pakistan, and North Korea are all working towards the capability to deploy multiple warheads on ballistic missiles, a capability that Russia, France, the UK, the US, and more recently China, already possess. This advancement would enable a rapid increase in deployed warheads and allow nuclear-armed countries to threaten a significantly greater number of targets.
According to SIPRI, Russia and the US together hold almost 90 percent of all nuclear weapons.
