A new global report says that most countries with nuclear weapons, including India and Pakistan, are continuing to upgrade and expand their nuclear arsenals. The report by SIPRI highlights growing risks, especially after a recent military clash between India and Pakistan that nearly turned into a full-scale war.

Most Nuclear-Armed Countries Upgraded Their Weapons in 2024, Says SIPRI Report

A new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reveals that nearly all nine nuclear-armed countries, including India and Pakistan, continued to upgrade their nuclear weapons in 2024. 

These countries are modernising old weapons and adding new ones to their arsenals.

According to SIPRI’s latest yearbook released on Monday, India slightly increased its number of nuclear weapons in 2024 and continued working on new systems to deliver these weapons. 

Similarly, Pakistan is also building new delivery systems and gathering more fissile material which is used to make nuclear bombs, indicating that its nuclear stockpile could grow in the future.

The yearbook, titled SIPRI Yearbook 2025, gives a detailed country-by-country update on weapons, disarmament, and global security. 

It also mentions the recent military clash between India and Pakistan in May 2025, which lasted four days and brought the two nuclear neighbours dangerously close to full-scale war.

The report said that as of January 2025, the world had around 12,241 nuclear warheads. Out of these, approximately 9,614 were part of active military stockpiles and ready for potential use.

India has reportedly continued to improve its nuclear capabilities. One notable development is its new canisterised missiles. 

These can be transported with nuclear warheads already attached, making them quicker to launch. Once fully ready, these missiles might also be able to carry multiple nuclear warheads at once.

SIPRI also noted that the brief conflict between India and Pakistan in early 2025 could have escalated into a nuclear crisis. 

According to Matt Korda, a senior researcher at SIPRI, the mix of military strikes and false information from outside sources made the situation riskier. 

He warned that this should be a wake-up call for any country that is putting more focus on nuclear weapons.

Since the Cold War ended, the number of nuclear weapons globally had been going down, mainly because the US and Russia were dismantling old warheads. 

However, SIPRI now warns that this trend may reverse soon. 

The rate at which warheads are being dismantled is slowing down, while the development and deployment of new ones is picking up speed.