India boosts nuclear warhead count to 190, widening lead over Pakistan
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s 2026 Yearbook estimates India’s nuclear arsenal at around 190 warheads at the start of 2026, up from previous years. India’s defence budget rose 8.9% in 2025 to $92.1 billion, making it the world’s fifth‑largest military spender, and the country is focusing on long‑range delivery systems aimed at targets across China while maintaining its historic rivalry with Pakistan.
In May 2025 a severe India‑Pakistan confrontation – the most serious in over two decades – saw conventional strikes on air and missile bases and, for the first time, the integration of cyber operations into kinetic warfare. SIPRI flagged this as a qualitative shift in South Asian security dynamics.
Pakistan continues to expand its own delivery capabilities and was among the top five global arms recipients from 2021‑25. China’s nuclear stockpile grew from roughly 600 to 620 warheads during 2025, with a parallel buildup of submarine‑based nuclear delivery systems across China, India, Pakistan and North Korea, raising concerns of a naval nuclear arms race in the Indo‑Pacific.
Globally, military spending reached a record $2.9 trillion in 2025, driven by heightened great‑power competition and ongoing conflicts.