Nuclear weapons spending hits $118.8 bn in 2025, led by US

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) released a report showing that nine nuclear‑armed states spent a total of $118.8 billion on nuclear weapons in 2025, a 19 % rise over the previous year and the highest amount ever recorded. The United States accounted for the largest share with $69.2 billion, followed by China ($13.5 billion) and the United Kingdom ($12.6 billion), which outpaced Russia.

The report notes that the private sector earned at least $38 billion from nuclear weapons contracts during the year. Over the past five years, the nine countries have invested $471 billion in modernising and expanding their arsenals. ICAN highlighted the humanitarian opportunity cost, stating that the U.S. nuclear budget alone could fund the United Nations' annual budget 19 times, or provide clean water for millions of people.

ICAN officials warned that the surge in spending fuels geopolitical tensions and diverts resources away from urgent human‑security needs.