India has made another slight increase in its nuclear capacity. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report for the year 2026, India is estimated to have 190 nuclear weapons (nuclear warheads) by the beginning of 2026. This number is said to be more than the estimated stockpile of Pakistan.
According to the report, India is continuously modernizing its nuclear weapons and the systems that carry them. Special emphasis is being laid on long-range strike capabilities, so that even distant targets like China can be reached. Besides, attention is also being given to maintaining strategic balance with Pakistan.
Mention of Operation Sindoor
SIPRI has described the situation that arose between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May 2025 as the most serious military crisis in recent years. According to the report, India had targeted those airbases and missile bases of Pakistan, which are believed to be related to nuclear capabilities. However, the report also said that both countries took precautions to prevent the situation from turning into a full-fledged nuclear conflict.
For the first time, cyber war also became a part of the conflict.
An important point of the report is that during this military confrontation between India and Pakistan, for the first time cyber operations also became a part of active war. This indicates that cyber capabilities will play an important role in future conflicts along with conventional and strategic military forces.
India is the fifth largest defense spending country in the world
According to SIPRI, India’s defense budget will increase to $92.1 billion in 2025, which is 8.9 percent more than last year. With this, India remains the fifth largest defense spending country in the world.
Apart from this, India was also the world’s second largest arms importer in the period 2021-25. India’s share in global arms imports was 8.2 percent.
More than 12 thousand nuclear weapons in the world
According to the report, at the beginning of 2026, the world’s nine nuclear-rich countries, America, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel, had a total of about 12,187 nuclear weapons. Of these, about 9,745 are in military stock and about 4,012 weapons are deployed in operational status. Of these, about 2,100 to 2,200 warheads are placed on ballistic missiles on high alert status.
India’s focus on sea-based nuclear capability
SIPRI says that India is also continuously strengthening its sea-based nuclear deterrence. Submarine-launched ballistic missiles ensure the ability to retaliate after any nuclear attack, which is considered very important strategically.
Increasing strategic competition in Asia
According to the report, India is also expanding its military and nuclear capabilities amid the increasing strategic competition between China and America in the Asia-Pacific region. SIPRI believes that in the changing global security environment, competition between big countries and the race for modern weapons may intensify in the future.
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