According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a Swedish think tank, India has more nuclear weapons than Pakistan, while China expanded its arsenal to 500 nuclear weapons from 410 warheads by January 2023 to January 2024.
The SIPRI analysis states that China’s nuclear arsenal is expected to grow from 410 warheads in January 2023 to 500 in January 2024.
Highlights from the SIPRI report
Nine nuclear weapon states, including the United States, Russia, Great Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel, continue to modernize their nuclear arsenals, with most of them deploying new nuclear-capable weapons systems by 2023.
India’s “stockpile” of nuclear weapons stood at 172 in January this year, compared to 170 for Pakistan.
India slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2023, while India and Pakistan continued to develop new types of nuclear delivery systems in 2023.
The SIPRI report said that while Pakistan remains at the center of India’s nuclear threat, India seems to be focusing more on long-range weapons, including those that can reach targets across China.
About 2,100 of the weapons sent remain on alert against ballistic missiles, and almost all of them belong to Russia or the United States. However, for the first time, China is believed to have multiple warheads on high operational alert.
Russia and the United States together have 90 percent of their nuclear weapons. According to observers, Russia will deploy around 36 warheads and operational troops by January 2023. China’s nuclear weapons stockpile is estimated to be smaller than that of Russia or the United States, the report said.
