In 2023, major advancements were seen in the worldwide nuclear arena involving the nine countries possessing nuclear weapons: the US, Russia, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel.
As per a SIPRI report, these nations persisted in upgrading their nuclear abilities, including the deployment of new nuclear weapons or systems capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
‘This trend seems likely to continue and probably accelerate in the coming years and is extremely concerning’—SIPRI’s nuclear weapon numbers were featured in this @AlJazeeraWorld article⬇️https://t.co/7C9LAvPJsh
— SIPRI (@SIPRIorg) June 18, 2024
How many nuclear bombs does India have?
The report stated that India had 172 nuclear warheads in storage in January, a little higher than Pakistan’s 170.
According to the report, India’s nuclear weapons stockpile grew slightly in 2023, and it noted that both India and Pakistan were also working on creating new nuclear delivery systems.
The report stated that although Pakistan is still the primary concern for India’s nuclear defense, there seems to be an increasing focus on developing longer-range weapons that can target China.
The research group also indicated that India, Pakistan, and North Korea were developing the ability to use MIRV technology on their ballistic missiles.
The ability is already held by the US, UK, Russia, France, and China in more recent times.
On March 11, India became a member of this exclusive group of countries by conducting a successful test flight of an Agni-5 ballistic missile equipped with Multiple Independently targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs).
The report from SIPRI also stated that the spread of MIRV capabilities could result in a quick rise in warheads and allow nuclear-armed countries to potentially target more locations for destruction.
How many nuclear bombs does China have?
According to SIPRI’s analysis, China saw a rise in its nuclear warheads from 410 in January 2023 to 500 in January 2024. The report suggested that Beijing’s nuclear arsenal would continue to expand.
The report also mentioned that China may have as many ICBMs as the US or Russia by the end of the decade, depending on their force structure.
Hans M Kristensen, an Associate Senior Fellow with SIPRI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme and Director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), stated to a news agency that China is increasing its nuclear arsenal at a quicker rate than any other nation.
Nevertheless, the report indicated that China’s supply of nuclear warheads was projected to stay significantly less than Russia’s or the US’s.
“But, in nearly all of the nuclear-armed states there are either plans or a significant push to increase nuclear forces,” Kristensen added.
China joins the US-Russia club
The report also mentioned that around 2,100 out of the 12,121 estimated nuclear warheads worldwide in January 2024 were maintained on high alert status on ballistic missiles, primarily by Russia or the US. Nevertheless, it stated that China was also thought to have put some of its warheads on high operational alert for the first time.
Approximately 9,585 warheads were stored in military arsenals, as stated in the report on the global inventory total.
Approximately 3,904 warheads were used with planes and missiles, a slight increase from January 2023, with the remaining warheads stored centrally.
What about the US and Russia?
According to the SIPRI report, Russia and the US collectively hold close to 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.
The report indicated that in 2023, Russia’s operational forces were estimated to have added approximately 36 warheads to their stockpiles, while overall stockpile sizes for both countries seemed to have stayed consistent since January 2023.
The report noted a decrease in transparency about nuclear forces in both countries following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which is concerning.
