New Delhi: India slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2025 and continued developing new nuclear delivery systems, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Yearbook 2026 released on June 8.
The report states that India’s nuclear modernisation programme is increasingly focused on developing long-range weapons capable of reaching targets across China, while continuing to account for its longstanding strategic rivalry with Pakistan.
SIPRI estimates that India’s nuclear arsenal grew to approximately 190 warheads by early 2026. The report notes that India continued to invest in new delivery platforms and strategic capabilities as part of its broader defence modernisation efforts.
The report also highlighted Operation Sindoor and the India-Pakistan military confrontation in May 2025, describing it as an “unusually severe military crisis” between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. According to SIPRI, Indian strikes targeted Pakistani air and missile bases believed to have potential nuclear-related roles. However, the institute noted that both countries took steps to prevent the conflict from escalating further.
A significant observation in the report was that India and Pakistan incorporated cyber operations into active military conflict for the first time during the crisis, signalling a new dimension in deterrence and modern warfare between the two countries.
Beyond nuclear developments, SIPRI reported that India’s military expenditure reached $92.1 billion in 2025, representing an 8.9 per cent increase compared to the previous year. This maintained India’s position as the world’s fifth-largest military spender, behind only the United States, China, Russia and Germany.
India also remained the world’s second-largest importer of major arms during the 2021-25 period, accounting for 8.2 per cent of global arms imports. Ukraine emerged as the largest arms importer, followed by India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan. Together, these five countries accounted for 35 per cent of global arms imports during the period.
The SIPRI report paints a broader picture of a changing global nuclear landscape. It states that the world’s nine nuclear-armed countries — the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — are increasingly relying on nuclear weapons as instruments of national power, reversing decades of efforts aimed at reducing their role in international security.
At the start of 2026, the world possessed an estimated 12,187 nuclear warheads, of which approximately 9,745 were held in military stockpiles and considered potentially operational. Around 4,012 warheads were deployed with operational forces, while an estimated 2,100 to 2,200 remained on high alert, ready for rapid launch.
The report notes that while the total number of global nuclear warheads continues to decline, the reduction is largely due to the dismantling of retired weapons by the United States and Russia. SIPRI warned that the pace of dismantlement is slowing and could soon be overtaken by the production of new warheads.
China’s nuclear arsenal also continued to grow, increasing from around 600 to as many as 620 warheads during the year. Meanwhile, Pakistan continued developing new delivery systems and accumulating fissile material, suggesting that its nuclear arsenal could expand further in the coming decade.
SIPRI further highlighted the growing importance of submarine-based nuclear delivery systems, particularly among nuclear-armed countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including India.
The report also noted a worsening global security environment, stating that the number of interstate armed conflicts doubled from three in 2024 to six in 2025. Among the conflicts identified were India-Pakistan, Iran-Israel/United States, Russia/North Korea-Ukraine, Afghanistan-Pakistan, Cambodia-Thailand and Congo-Rwanda.
According to SIPRI Director Karim Haggag, the international strategic environment has been transformed over the past decade by the return of large-scale interstate warfare and shifts in global power dynamics, particularly growing competition between China and the United States.
