Pakistan, which often makes threats regarding nuclear weapons, has suffered a major setback. According to the 2026 report of Swedish research institute SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), Pakistan did not increase the number of its nuclear weapons in the last one year. Between January 2025 and January 2026, the number of its nuclear warheads remained stable at 170.
On the contrary, India and China expanded their nuclear arsenal. According to SIPRI data, India had 180 nuclear warheads in January 2025, which will increase to 190 by January 2026. That means India added 10 new nuclear warheads in one year. At the same time, China increased the number of its warheads from 600 to 620, that is, it increased 20 new nuclear weapons in a year. According to the report, Pakistan’s nuclear weapons may increase in the coming decade.
India’s focus on long range missiles
According to the report, China is rapidly modernizing its nuclear weapons and missile systems. SIPRI estimates that China’s nuclear stockpile will continue to grow in the coming years. The report says that India’s nuclear strategy is still influenced by its rivalry with Pakistan. But now India’s focus is also on developing such long-range missiles that can reach any part of China. Therefore, India’s nuclear modernization is now being done keeping China in mind.
By January 2026, China had 620 nuclear warheads, India had 190 and Pakistan had 170 nuclear warheads. According to the report, 34 nuclear warheads of China and 12 of India were in deployed position. No warhead of Pakistan is shown in the deployed category. Although Pakistan’s total number of nuclear weapons remained only 170, it continued the work of developing new missile systems and accumulating nuclear weapons in 2025. SIPRI believes that this may increase Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile in the next 10 years.
Operation Sindoor mentioned in the report
The report also mentions Operation Sindoor between India and Pakistan in May 2025. According to SIPRI, India had attacked some airbases and missile sites of Pakistan, which could have been related to the nuclear program. However, both the countries tried to prevent the situation from turning into a major war. Talking about the world, a total of 12,187 nuclear weapons existed till January 2026. Of these, 9,745 were kept in military reserves and 4,012 were deployed on missiles and aircraft.
SIPRI Director Karim Haggag has warned that nuclear threats are increasing due to new military technology, increasing international tensions and weakening of arms control agreements. According to the report, Pakistan is an immediate challenge for India, while China is becoming the biggest strategic challenge in the long run.
Also read: China is making nuclear weapons every 18 days, till when will it challenge Russia-US?
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