The report states that India has deployed 12 nuclear warheads, while China has increased its deployed warheads to 34 in 2025, reflecting an expanding emphasis on ready-to-use nuclear deterrents. The findings were published in the SIPRI Yearbook 2026 released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, an independent global think tank focused on conflict, armaments, and arms control.
According to the report, the global nuclear inventory stood at an estimated 12,187 warheads as of January 2026, of which approximately 9,745 were held in military stockpiles for potential operational use. SIPRI further observed that states are increasingly treating nuclear weapons as active instruments of national power.
The report distinguishes between stockpiled and deployed warheads, noting that stockpiled warheads remain stored and are not mounted on delivery systems, while deployed warheads are installed on operational platforms and maintained in a state of immediate or near-immediate readiness.
India’s reported deployment of 12 warheads marks the first instance in which SIPRI has recorded Indian nuclear weapons as operationally deployed, while the majority of its arsenal remains in storage. These deployed warheads are understood to be deliverable through India’s nuclear triad, including Arihant-class nuclear-powered submarines, Mirage 2000 and SEPECAT Jaguar fighter aircraft, and potentially Rafale and Su-30MKI jets, alongside land-based missile systems such as Agni, Prithvi, Nirbhay, and BrahMos.
In contrast, the report indicates that Pakistan currently has no deployed nuclear warheads. However, SIPRI’s 2024 assessment had estimated China’s deployed arsenal at 24 warheads, highlighting a marked increase to 34 in 2025 and underscoring Beijing’s accelerating nuclear readiness.
The United States and Russia remain the largest nuclear powers, with 1,770 and 1,796 deployed warheads respectively. France is reported to have 280 deployed warheads, while the United Kingdom maintains 120.
SIPRI notes that between 2,100 and 2,200 warheads globally are kept on high operational alert, predominantly belonging to Russia and the United States, with smaller shares attributed to France and the United Kingdom. The report adds that China and India may now occasionally deploy a limited number of warheads mounted on missiles during peacetime conditions.
The institute also assessed that India slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2025 while continuing the development of advanced nuclear delivery systems, with a strategic focus on long-range capabilities capable of reaching targets across China. Pakistan, meanwhile, is reported to be accumulating fissile material, suggesting potential future expansion of its nuclear arsenal.
SIPRI further observed that the brief armed conflict between India and Pakistan in May 2025 involved strikes by India on Pakistani air and missile bases believed to have nuclear-related roles, while both sides reportedly acted to prevent escalation into a broader nuclear crisis.
The report concludes that the growing reliance on nuclear weapons and the operational deployment of warheads by multiple states reflect an increasingly unstable global deterrence environment, where nuclear capabilities are being integrated more directly into active military posture.
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