Spending on nuclear weapons by the world's nine nuclear-armed states rose by almost a fifth in 2025 to $119 billion, a report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons said on Tuesday.
The 19% increase from 2024 produced the highest expenditure on nuclear weapons since the campaign group began tracking the annual nuclear arms expenditure of the US, Russia, China, France, Britain, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel in 2020.
The United States spent $69.2 billion, more than all other nuclear-armed states combined, and recorded the largest increase, with spending rising by 22 percent.
The campaign said the increase reflects broader growth in US military spending alongside efforts to modernize and expand its nuclear arsenal.
China ranked second, increasing its nuclear weapons spending by seven percent to $13.5 billion.
The United Kingdom overtook Russia to become the third-largest spender, with expenditures rising 17 percent to $12.6 billion. Russia spent $9.5 billion, up six percent from the previous year.
The campaign, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017, advocates for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.
