The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has published a concerning report that reveals an increase in the number of nuclear weapons worldwide. This trend is a cause for alarm as it suggests that humanity may be entering one of its most dangerous eras.
It is particularly worrying in current times where international relations appear to be deteriorating and there are mounting tensions related to nuclear weapons. According to SIPRI's latest figures, there are 12,512 nuclear warheads worldwide, with 9,576 being held by militaries and ready for use.
This represents a rise of 86 weapons since last year, and signals an end to the gradual decline in numbers since the Cold War. Furthermore, SIPRI notes that China has obtained 60 of these new nuclear weapons.
Approximately 2,000 nuclear weapons currently exist, with the vast majority belonging to Russia and the US. These weapons are kept ready for deployment, either attached to missiles or stored at airbases with nuclear bombers. However, obtaining an accurate understanding of the situation is difficult due to certain nations, including the US, UK, and Russia, reducing their level of transparency, particularly following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
A warning was issued by Wilfred Wan who holds the responsibility of overseeing the Weapons of Mass Destruction Program at SIPRI:
“With billion-dollar programmes to modernize, and in some cases expand, nuclear arsenals, the five nuclear weapon states recognized by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty seem to be moving further and further from their commitment to disarmament under the treaty".
According to a report published by the International Campaign on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, nine countries possessing nuclear weapons spent an excessive amount of $82.9 billion on nuclear arms in 2022, which is equivalent to $157,000 per minute.
The report suggests that this amount was not spent effectively and was a waste of resources.
The US and Russia together hold nearly 90% of the world's nuclear arsenal, with over 1,000 retired warheads being dismantled.
Out of 12,512 total warheads currently in the world (both active and retired), approximately 3,844 are in use with missiles and aircraft, according to SIPRI.
Several countries, including Russia, Pakistan, North Korea, and India, have reportedly acquired new nuclear weapons.
Despite this, the United Nations' five permanent security council members, including the US, Russia, France, the UK, and China, released a statement in 2021 highlighting that nuclear war cannot be won and should never be fought, even as the number of ready-to-use warheads continues to increase.