Nuclear Powers Spent $91 Billion on Nuclear Weapons, ICAN Reports

Nuclear powers have increased their spending on nuclear armaments by one third over the past five years, modernizing their arsenals amid rising geopolitical tensions. According to ICAN, nine nuclear-armed countries— the United States, China, India, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, Israel, Pakistan, and North Korea—spent a total of $91.4 billion on nuclear weapons last year, with more than half of that amount, $51.5 billion, attributed to the U.S.

China comes in a distant second with $11.8 billion, and Russia ranks third with $8.3 billion.

In 2023 alone, global spending on nuclear weapons increased by $10.8 billion, with a lion's share—80%—going to the United States. In the United Kingdom, nuclear weapons spending rose for the second consecutive year (+17%), totaling $8.1 billion last year. In France, India, Israel, Pakistan, and North Korea, military spending for 2022 has surged more than 33% compared to $68.2 billion in 2018.