The nine nuclear-armed states—the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel—continued to modernize their nuclear arsenals and deployed several new nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable weapon systems in 2023.

1. In January 2024, there were approximately 60 more nuclear weapons ready for use worldwide compared to the previous year.

2. Israel:

According to SIPRI, Israel is upgrading its nuclear arsenal despite not publicly acknowledging its possession of nuclear weapons. SIPRI’s report ranks Israel eighth globally in terms of the number of stored nuclear warheads, estimating it has 90 warheads. Israel is also upgrading its plutonium for the reactor at its nuclear research facility in Dimona, as noted in the annual report.

3. China

China has added 90 nuclear warheads to its inventory by 2023. China has a
total of 500 nuclear warheads.
China is undergoing a “significant” expansion of its nuclear capabilities and may possess as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as the United States or Russia by 2030, according to a new global analysis of nuclear weapons.

For the first time, China is believed to have deployed a small number of warheads during peacetime, readying them on missiles rather than storing them separately from the vehicles that can launch them, as reported by SIPRI. Of China’s 500 warheads, 24 were deployed as of January, representing less than 5 percent of its stockpile.

Approximately 2,100 deployed nuclear warheads are kept in a state of “high operational alert” on ballistic missiles, with almost all belonging to Russia or the United States. However, SIPRI found that China has placed 24 warheads on operational alert for the first time.

SIPRI’s estimates align with figures in a recent Pentagon report to Congress, which stated that China likely had “more than” 500 operational nuclear warheads by May and was “on track to exceed previous projections.”

4. India

SIPRI says: India slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2023. India has about 172 warheads.

Both India and Pakistan continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery system 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. Pakistan has about 170 stored warheads.

5. NATO

NATO Chief Stoltenberg announced today that NATO is in talks to put nuclear weapons on standby. Three NATO countries—the US, the UK, and France—possess nuclear weapons.

As of January 2024, the US has 3,708 nuclear warheads, with 1,770 deployed and 1,938 stockpiled. Additionally, 1,336 retired warheads are in the process of being dismantled, bringing the total inventory to 5,044, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The UK has 225 nuclear warheads and announced in March 2021 its intention to increase its stockpile to 260 by 2025. Currently, 120 are deployed and 105 are stored.

France has 290 nuclear warheads, with 280 deployed and 10 in storage.

In total, NATO possesses 4,223 nuclear warheads, or 5,559 including stockpiled weapons, with 2,170 currently deployed.