Once upon a time, the bombings by Iran and Israel had pushed the whole world under the fear of the third world war. At that time, America also took the lead and claimed that it had destroyed all the nuclear sites of Tehran. However, Iran had called this claim false. But the question still remains that how many nuclear weapons are left in the world?

According to the Yearbook 2025 of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), by January 2025, 9 countries of the world together have 12,241 nuclear weapons. India’s name is also included in these countries. The report says that despite global tension, many countries are upgrading their nuclear programs. While on one hand there is talk of keeping distance from nuclear weapons amidst the Russia-Ukraine war and the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, on the other hand their number is continuously increasing the concern.

serial number	country name	number of nuclear weapons	Situation
1	America (USA)	5,177	The country with the largest number of nuclear weapons continues modernization
2	Russia	5,459	World’s largest nuclear arsenal, many weapons on high alert
3	China	600	Rapidly growing nuclear program, developing new missile systems
4	France	290	Major nuclear country of Europe, NATO member
5	Britain (UK)	225	Relying on Trident missile system, limited but modern stock
6	India	180	Follows ‘No First Use’ policy, focuses on increasing missile range
7	Pakistan	170	Policy to maintain nuclear balance against India
8	Israel	90	Does not formally recognize nuclear power, but has nuclear capability
9	North Korea	50	Center of global concern due to continuous missile tests

The SIPRI report states that about 3,912 nuclear weapons are deployed on missiles and aircraft around the world. Of these, 2,100 weapons have been kept on high alert, meaning they can be used within minutes.

9 nuclear countries are working on nuclear modernization programs

Apart from this, all 9 nuclear countries are still working on their nuclear modernization programs, under which old weapons are being upgraded with new technology.

Some countries destroyed old retired nuclear weapons

According to the report, compared to last year, some countries have destroyed old retired nuclear weapons. But as many weapons are being destroyed, almost the same number of new weapons are being made. This means that the world is still not completely out of the danger of nuclear war.

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When the whole world is struggling with climate change and global recession, China is quietly busy strengthening its nuclear warhead. According to a recent report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China’s nuclear stockpile is now increasing rapidly.

While China had 410 nuclear warheads in 2023, this number will reach 500 in 2024. The most shocking thing is that in just one year, China has added about 100 new nuclear weapons and this pace is not stopping. Preliminary figures for 2025 show that this figure may go even higher.

India will have to make a strategy

This can affect not only Asia but the strategic balance of the entire world. The eyes of America, Russia, India and other nuclear-rich countries have now become even more alert on China’s activities. This is a warning to India that it may have to rethink its security policy and nuclear policy. Although China has publicly reiterated its policy of ‘no first use’ i.e. no first nuclear attack, its rapidly growing nuclear power is making this policy questionable.

China did the first test in the year 1964

China officially started its nuclear weapons program in 1955, which was named ‘Project 596’. It received initial technical help from the Soviet Union. After that, in the year 1964, China successfully conducted its first nuclear test. This test was conducted at a place called Lop Nur and it was a fission based nuclear bomb.

After this successful test, China became the fifth nuclear weapons country in the world. America, Soviet Union, Britain and France were already included in this list. After this, China conducted 45 nuclear tests in Lop Noor from 1964 to 1996 i.e. for 3 decades.

China is building 350 new missile silos

China accelerated development and testing of missile-based nuclear weapons. During this period, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched systems were developed. Although it has signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), it has not yet ratified it.

Since 2020, China has started rapidly increasing its nuclear weapons stockpile. According to SIPRI and the US Defense Department, if growth continues at this pace, China’s number of warheads could exceed 1500 by 2035. The SIPRI report claims that China is building about 350 new missile silos. Either these have been built or are in the construction stage.

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