Global spending on nuclear weapons reached an unprecedented $119 billion in 2025, marking a sharp increase as nuclear-armed nations continue to expand and modernise their arsenals, according to a new report released by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).
The report revealed that the world’s nine nuclear powers spent an additional $16.8 billion on their nuclear programmes compared to the previous year, highlighting growing investment in weapons of mass destruction despite ongoing calls for disarmament.
The United States remained by far the largest spender, committing an estimated $69.2 billion to its nuclear arsenal — an increase of $12.6 billion from 2024 and more than the combined spending of all other nuclear-armed nations.
China ranked second with an estimated $13.5 billion, followed by the United Kingdom at $12.6 billion, Russia at $9.5 billion, and France at $7.7 billion.
Other nuclear states also increased spending, with India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea investing between $656 million and $2.8 billion in their nuclear programmes.
According to ICAN, the nine countries have collectively spent about $471 billion on nuclear weapons over the past five years and show no indication of scaling back their arsenals.
The organisation criticised the trend, arguing that governments are prioritising weapons development over pressing global challenges.
“At a time when nations are reducing commitments to climate action, humanitarian assistance, and multilateral diplomacy, spending on nuclear weapons continues to soar,” ICAN said. “Governments are investing vast sums in tools capable of destroying humanity rather than protecting it.”
The findings come a day after the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) warned that nuclear powers are increasingly abandoning disarmament commitments while accelerating efforts to upgrade their stockpiles.
SIPRI estimates that the world’s nuclear-armed states possess more than 12,000 nuclear warheads, with the overwhelming majority held by the United States and Russia.
Although the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted in 2017, has been signed or ratified by 99 countries, none of the nations possessing nuclear weapons has joined the agreement.
Efforts to control global nuclear stockpiles have also suffered setbacks. The last major arms control treaty between Washington and Moscow, New START, expired in February without a replacement agreement, raising fresh concerns about the future of nuclear restraint and global security.
