U. S is leading record rise in spending on nuclear arsenal, according to a campaign group. Spending on nuclear weapons by the world's nine nuclear-armed states rose by almost a fifth in 2025 to $119 billion, a report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons said on Tuesday.
The 19 per cent increase from 2024 produced the highest expenditure on nuclear weapons since the campaign group began tracking the annual nuclear arms expenditure of the U.S., Russia, China, France, Britain, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel in 2020, according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). 2017 Nobel Peace laureate ICAN seeks total elimination of nuclear weapons.
The U.S. spent $69.2 billion, more than all other nuclear states combined, and saw largest increase, at 22 per cent. U.S. is increasing military spending in general as well as rebuilding nuclear arsenal. Washington dished out $69.2 billion on nuclear weapons in 2025 -- an increase of $12.4 billion from a year earlier, ICAN said.
China came second, increasing by 7 per cent to $13.5 billion. Britain overtook Russia to become third-biggest spender, up 17 per cent to $12.6 billion. Russia spent $9.5 billion, increase of 6 per cent.
The United States and Russia together hold around 83 percent of the world's nuclear arms stockpile, with more than 5,000 warheads each. China is expanding its nuclear arsenal faster than any other country, SIPRI said, estimating that it counts around 620 warheads.
ICAN's report indicated that all nuclear-armed states, which also include Britain, France, India, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan, were increasing investments in their arsenals.
Over the past five years, it determined that the nine countries had spent over $470 billion on their arsenals. The nine countries jointly spent nearly $17 billion more last year than in 2024 on the weapons of mass destruction.
Meanwhile, another report by SIPRI highlighted that the total estimated number of nuclear warheads had been declining for decades, falling to 12,187 at the start of this year, but warned the number of weapons available for potential use had risen, to 9,745.
SIPRI predicted that overall nuclear arms stockpiles were likely to begin growing again in coming years "as the pace of dismantlement is slowing, while the deployment of new nuclear weapons is accelerating".
Examining longer term projections, ICAN highlighted figures from Britain, France and the United States showing plans to spend billions to develop and maintain nuclear weapons systems well into the next century. Other countries too were introducing new weapons systems with long lifespans, it said.
The report pointed out that planned new US Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missiles were expected to remain operational past 2100, while swelling US plutonium pit production indicated that the country's warheads would last through 2120.
That will mean significant investment, with US nuclear arms spending over just the decade between 2025 and 2034 projected at close to $1 trillion.
