According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Year Book 2024, India possesses more nuclear weapons than Pakistan, while China has expanded its nuclear arsenal from 410 warheads in January 2023 to 500 by January 2024.
Key highlights of the report
China’s nuclear arsenal increased from 410 warheads in January 2023 to 500 in January 2024, and it is expected to keep growing.
Nine nuclear-armed nations, including the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel, continued to modernise their nuclear arsenals, and several of them deployed new nuclear-capable weapon systems in 2023.
India’s “stored” nuclear warheads were 172 in January 2024, while the number for Pakistan was 170.
India slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2023, Both India and Pakistan continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery systems in 2023.
While Pakistan remains the main focus of India’s nuclear deterrent, India appears to be placing growing emphasis on longer-range weapons, including those capable of reaching targets throughout China.
Some 2,100 of the deployed warheads were kept in a state of high operational alert on ballistic missiles, and nearly all of them belonged to Russia or the US.
However, for the first time, China is believed to have some warheads on high operational alert. Russia and the US together possess almost 90 per cent of all nuclear weapons.
Russia is estimated to have deployed around 36 more warheads with operational forces than in January 2023.
