Nuclear Arms Race Intensifies: Insights from SIPRI Yearbook 2025
Nuclear Modernization on the Rise
New Delhi: A recent report from a global think tank reveals that nearly all nine nations with nuclear capabilities, including India and Pakistan, are actively engaged in extensive nuclear modernization efforts throughout 2024. This includes enhancements to existing arsenals and the introduction of advanced weaponry.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India has reportedly made slight expansions to its nuclear stockpile in 2024 while also advancing the development of new nuclear delivery systems.
Similarly, Pakistan is noted to be progressing in the creation of new delivery mechanisms and accumulating fissile materials, indicating a potential growth in its nuclear capabilities over the next decade.
The SIPRI Yearbook 2025, which was released recently, provides a comprehensive evaluation of global armaments, disarmament, and international security.
The report also highlights the recent military tensions between India and Pakistan, particularly a four-day conflict in May that brought both nations perilously close to a full-scale war.
SIPRI's assessment indicates that all nine nuclear-armed countries, including the United States, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel, are engaged in significant nuclear modernization initiatives, enhancing their existing arsenals and introducing new systems.
As of January 2025, the global nuclear inventory is estimated at 12,241 warheads, with approximately 9,614 categorized as being in military stockpiles ready for potential deployment.
The report suggests that India's new 'canisterized' missiles, designed for transport with mated warheads, could potentially carry nuclear payloads during peacetime and may even be capable of delivering multiple warheads once operational.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated into brief armed conflict in early 2025, raising concerns about the risk of a conventional conflict evolving into a nuclear crisis, as noted by Matt Korda, an Associate Senior Researcher at SIPRI.
Korda emphasized that this situation serves as a critical warning for nations increasing their reliance on nuclear arsenals.
The think tank also pointed out that since the Cold War's conclusion, the dismantling of retired warheads by Russia and the USA has typically exceeded the deployment of new ones, leading to an overall decline in the global nuclear stockpile.
However, this trend may soon reverse, as the pace of dismantlement slows while the introduction of new nuclear weapons accelerates.
The SIPRI Yearbook 2025 highlights the emergence of a 'dangerous new nuclear arms race' amid significantly weakened arms control frameworks.