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VIDEO EXPLAINER | 31 OCTOBER 2026
SIPRI launched the 57th edition of its Yearbook on 8 June 2026, estimating that India’s nuclear arsenal grew from about 180 to about 190 warheads between January 2025 and January 2026, while Pakistan’s held steady at about 170. The Yearbook also carries SIPRI’s earlier-released data: India was the world’s fifth-largest military spender in 2025 ($92.1 billion, released 27 April 2026) and the second-largest arms importer in 2021–25 (8.2% of global imports, released 9 March 2026).
What happened
India was the world’s second-largest arms importer in 2021–25 with 8.2% of global imports, behind Ukraine (9.7%) (SIPRI data released 9 March 2026).
Pakistan was the fifth-largest arms importer (4.2%); China supplied 80% of its arms imports in 2021–25.
India was the world’s fifth-biggest military spender in 2025, raising spending by 8.9% to $92.1 billion (SIPRI data released 27 April 2026).
The top five military spenders of 2025 were the USA ($954 bn), China (~$336 bn), Russia (~$190 bn), Germany ($114 bn) and India ($92.1 bn).
Pakistan’s military spending rose 11% to $11.9 billion in 2025.
The 2026 NPT Review Conference ended on 22 May 2026 without a final outcome document — the third in a row.
SIPRI launched SIPRI Yearbook 2026 on 8 June 2026 (Monday).
Russia and the USA together hold around 83% of all stockpiled (usable) nuclear warheads.
SIPRI estimates China has around 620 warheads and is expanding its arsenal faster than any other country.
SIPRI Yearbook 2026 is the 57th edition of the Yearbook.
SIPRI estimated India’s total nuclear inventory at about 190 warheads in January 2026, up from about 180 in January 2025.
Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile was estimated to have stayed stable at about 170 warheads as of January 2026.
SIPRI listed about 12 Indian warheads as deployed in January 2026 (none in January 2025); Pakistan had no deployed warheads listed.
SIPRI assessed that India may have started deploying a small number of warheads on a single SSBN on occasional deterrence patrols.
SIPRI said China and India may now occasionally deploy a small number of warheads mounted on missiles in peacetime.
India’s nuclear modernisation is increasingly focused on long-range weapons able to reach targets throughout China.
The global inventory was an estimated 12,187 warheads in January 2026, of which about 9,745 were in military stockpiles and about 4,012 deployed.
Background and the rules behind it
SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) was established in 1966 and is an independent institute researching conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament.
Karim Haggag is the Director of SIPRI.
SIPRI lists India’s first nuclear test year as 1974 and Pakistan’s as 1998.
India’s navy operates three SSBNs — INS Arihant, INS Arighaat and INS Aridhaman; a fourth, reportedly INS Arisudan, is expected in 2027.
SIPRI’s military-expenditure and arms-transfer figures are pre-launched during the year and then reproduced in the Yearbook (arms transfers March 2026, military expenditure April 2026).
Key terms
- SSBN: Nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarine — the sea leg of a nuclear triad.
- MIRV: Multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles: several warheads on one missile, each able to hit a different target.
- Military stockpile vs total inventory: Stockpile = warheads available for use (deployed + stored); inventory adds retired warheads awaiting dismantlement.
- Nuclear triad: Ability to deliver nuclear weapons from land-based missiles, aircraft and submarines.
Constitutional / Legal / Institutional framework
- Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), 1968: Treaty whose 2026 Review Conference ended on 22 May 2026 without an outcome document; India and Pakistan are not parties.
CLAT angle
- Number pairs: India ~190 vs Pakistan ~170 warheads (Jan 2026); India up from ~180 in Jan 2025.
- Ranks with period: 5th-largest military spender in calendar 2025 ($92.1 bn); 2nd-largest arms importer over 2021–25 (8.2%), behind Ukraine.
- Trap: the spending and arms-import figures were released in April and March 2026 and reproduced in the June Yearbook — the Yearbook itself (8 June) is chiefly known for the nuclear-forces estimate.
- Supplier shift: Russia’s share of India’s imports fell to 40% (from 51% and 70% in earlier periods).
- Static: SIPRI est. 1966, Sweden; nine nuclear-armed states; NPT 1968; New START expired Feb 2026.
Key facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1966 | SIPRI established |
| 1968 | NPT concluded |
| 1974 | India’s first nuclear test |
| 1998 | Pakistan’s first nuclear test |
| 2026-03-09 | SIPRI arms-transfer data: India 2nd-largest importer 2021–25 |
| 2026-04-27 | SIPRI military-expenditure data: India 5th-largest spender in 2025 |
| 2026-05-22 | NPT Review Conference ends without outcome document |
| 2026-06-08 | SIPRI Yearbook 2026 (57th edition) launched |
Mnemonic / memory hook
Remember the trap.
Give ranks with period: spending = calendar 2025; arms imports = five-year window 2021–25. 190/170 are January 2026 estimates, ‘approximate’. India’s ~12 deployed warheads is new vs 2025 (nil). Do not call SIPRI a UN body.
Sources
Primary documents and reporting listed in the fact base: sipri.org. Lead image: Photo: Håkan Dahlström from Malmö, Sweden, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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