Top 10 nuclear forces and weapons countries in the World: On June 8, 2026, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) launched its annual assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security. The assessment concluded that states are increasingly relying on nuclear power despite increasing tensions and miscalculations.

It has been noted that the nine nuclear-armed states: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Israel have continued programmes to enhance their nuclear arsenals in 2025. Most of these countries deployed new nuclear weapon systems during the year.

According to the report, Russia and the USA still possess around 83% of all stockpiled nuclear warheads (i.e. useable warheads). However, this share is considerably shrinking due to growth in the world’s other arsenals.

Currently, all the nine countries possess a total of 12,187 warheads, as estimated in early 2026. Compared to last year’s data from Federation of American Scientists (FAS) study, there is a decrease of 144 warheads.

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI Yearbook 2026).