The Stockholm International Institute of Peace Research (Sebry) warned that the world is entering a new stage of nuclear armaments, as the nuclear forces went towards updating their graphics and giving up arms reducing agreements, which puts an end to the era of reducing stocks that started since the end of the Cold War.
In its annual report issued today, Monday, the institute clarified that the retrieval trend in the number of global nuclear warheads that prevailed in the past decades “appears on its way to fading”, where the armed countries are racing nuclear towards developing existing weapons and adding new heads.
“The era of reducing nuclear weapons that began after the Cold War is approaching its end. In contrast, we are witnessing a clear trend towards the growth of nuclear arsenals, the exacerbation of nuclear discourse, and the gradual abandonment of armament -limiting agreements,” said Hans Kristinsen, nuclear weapons analyst at the institute.
Ready and updated arsenals
According to Sipri’s data, the total number of nuclear warheads in the world to January 2025 amounted to 12,241 warheads, down from 12 thousand and 405 heads last year.
Among these heads, there are 9614 among the ready -made military stocks for potential use, while about 3912 warnings were actually deployed, including approximately 2,100 heads at maximum alert on ballistic missiles, almost all of them returning to the United States and Russia.
The institute said that the United States and Russia, which have about 90% of the global nuclear arsenal, have maintained the number of their warheads that can be used at relatively fixed levels during the year 2024, but at the same time they implement wide updating programs that would increase the size and diversity of their arsenal in the coming years.
China tops growth
The report indicated that China continues to expand its arsenal at a pace is the fastest among the nuclear countries, as Beijing has added approximately 100 nuclear heads annually since 2023. According to estimates, China currently has about 600 warheads, and it is on its way to possessing a number of intercontinental ballistic missiles, equivalent to Russia or the United States by the end of the current decade.
The institute said that Russia and the United States, which possess about 90% of all nuclear weapons, have relatively preserved the number of their military heads in 2024. However, they implement comprehensive update programs, which can increase their future arsenal.
According to the numbers of “Sebberry”, the current estimated distribution of the widespread and ready -made warheads of the nine nuclear powers is as follows:
United States: 5177 heads (1770 widespread)
Russia: 5459 heads (1718 widespread)
China: 600 heads (24 widespread, according to estimates)
France: 290 heads (280 of which are widespread)
UK: 225 heads (120 widespread)
India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel: Darble detailed numbers have not been determined, but it is estimated that each of them possesses tens of hundreds of heads.
About 2,100 ready -made warheads are placed for use in a maximum alert to operate on ballistic missiles, almost all of them, especially in the United States or Russia, according to the institute.
Slow dismantling and risk escalating
The institute said that global tensions have made the nine armed countries nuclear, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel, deciding to increase their stocks of nuclear weapons.
The Sebri Institute explained that the noticeable decrease in the number of nuclear warheads during the past decades was the result of the dismantling operations that affected the infected weapons to retirement, especially in the United States and Russia. However, this decrease is slowly slowing, while the spread of new nuclear warheads and the expansion of armament programs.
The report warned that abandoning international arms control agreements, such as the New Start Treaty between Washington and Moscow, contributes to escalating risks and increases the threat of nuclear weapons, in light of the current geopolitical tensions and the multiple conflicts in the global scene.
The report concluded with the warning that these developments indicate the entry of the world to the post -nuclear armament reduction stage, a “more dangerous and lacking guarantees” stage, calling on the international community to move to rebuild mechanisms of trust and control nuclear spread.