Global nuclear weapons spending hits record $119bn, report says

Global spending on nuclear weapons rose to a record $119bn in 2025, according to a new report from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. The report says the nine nuclear-armed states increased their combined spending by $16.8bn compared with the previous year. It also says the United States accounted for the largest share, with an estimated $69.2bn, more than all other nuclear powers combined.

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The report places China as the second-biggest spender at an estimated $13.5bn, followed by the United Kingdom at $12.6bn, Russia at $9.5bn and France at $7.7bn. India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea were estimated to have spent between $656m and $2.8bn each. The report says all nine nuclear-armed countries increased spending compared with the previous year.

ICAN said nuclear-armed states spent a combined $471bn over the past five years. It also said all of them are planning to retain their arsenals for decades more. The group argued that the scale of spending comes as countries are reducing investment in other global priorities, including climate adaptation and multilateral diplomacy.

The report was released on Tuesday. The figures matter because they point to continued investment in nuclear modernisation at a time when disarmament efforts remain limited. The report comes a day after the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute warned that nuclear states were sidelining disarmament commitments in favour of modernising and enhancing their arsenals.

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The nine nuclear-armed states are estimated to possess more than 12,000 warheads between them, with the vast majority held by the United States and Russia. The broader policy backdrop includes the 2017 United Nations treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, which bars states from developing, testing or acquiring nuclear weapons. Ninety-nine countries have signed, ratified or acceded to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, but no country with nuclear weapons has signed it.

The report also reflects long-running tensions between disarmament goals and the security policies of nuclear-armed states, especially the United States and Russia, which have historically led efforts to limit arsenals while continuing to maintain large stockpiles. What remains unclear from the report is how much of the spending increase reflects new procurement, research, maintenance or long-term modernisation programmes. It is also not clear whether any of the nuclear-armed states will alter their spending plans in response to the report or the wider criticism of nuclear modernisation.

The next developments to watch are official reactions from the governments named in the report and any follow-up from disarmament advocates and international security bodies.

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