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India, China & Pakistan expanding Nuclear Arsenals: SIPRI Report

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India behind China and Pakistan in nuclear-warheadsThe ‘SIPRI Yearbook 2021 (52nd Edition)’ released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) states that  India, Pakistan & China are expanding their Nuclear arsenals.

  • At the start of 2021, India with 156 Nuclear warheads (at the start of 2021) is behind Pakistan (165 Nuclear warheads) & China (350 warheads).
  • The 9 nuclear armed states in the world (US, Russia, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea) possessed an estimated 13,080 Nuclear warheads at the start of 2021, and decreased compared to 2020 stockpile – 13400.
  • Russia & US together possess around 90% of the global nuclear weapons, they have extensive and expensive modernisation programmes.

World Nuclear Forces, as of January 2021

CountryTotal Warheads in 2021 (estimated)
USA5550
Russia6255
China350
India156

Highlights

  • The report states that globally the number of nuclear warheads in military stockpiles has increased.
  • At the start of 2020, India had possessed 150 warheads, while Pakistan & China had 160 & 320 warheads respectively.
  • Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia and China were the five largest importers of major arms in the world between 2016 and 2020.

Recent Related News:

April 27, 2021, According to the report ‘Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2020’ released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India with a Military Expenditure of  USD 72.9 Billion in 2020 (3.7% of Global Share) was ranked as the 3rd Highest Military Spender in 2020.

About Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)

Director – Dan Smith
Headquarters – Stockholm, Sweden