It evaluated nuclear-armed states in the world that are increasing their investment in the destructive weapons thus putting global security at a greater risk.

According to SIPRI Yearbook 2024, the nuclear-armed states together spent 91.4 billion USD on their arsenals last year, up 13% against 2022 and a record high over the past several decades.

Wilfred Wan, Director of SIPRI’s “Weapons of Mass Destruction Program”, said it hasn’t seen nuclear weapons playing such a prominent role in international relations since the cold war.

SIPRI said all nine nuclear-armed states – the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel – all increased spending on their nuclear arsenals. The US spent the most, 51.5 billion USD, followed by China at 11.9 billion USD. Russia spent 8.3 billion USD.

SIPRI believes that the upward trend will continue, pushing the world to greater security risks amid geopolitical tensions.

Earlier, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that the present time poses the highest nuclear risk in the past four decades.

“Possessing a nuclear arsenal is not self-defense. It is suicide. These weapons are not yesterday’s problem. They remain today’s threat, a clear and present danger. The threat has never been higher in the past four decades,” said Guterres.

According to SIPRI, of the total global inventory of an estimated 12,121 warheads in January this year, about 9,585 were in military stockpiles for potential use. Around 2,100 of the deployed warheads are kept in a state of high operational alert installed on ballistic missiles.