A report released by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons found that spending on nuclear weapons by the world’s nine nuclear-armed states increased by 19% in 2025, reaching a record $119 billion.

According to the report, this represents the highest level of nuclear weapons spending since ICAN began tracking annual expenditures in 2020 among the nine nuclear powers: United States, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel.

The United States remained the largest spender, allocating $69.2 billion to its nuclear arsenal, a 22% increase from 2024. Its spending exceeded the combined total of all other nuclear-armed states.

China ranked second, increasing its nuclear weapons expenditure by 7% to $13.5 billion.

The United Kingdom overtook Russia to become the third-largest spender, raising its nuclear weapons budget by 17% to $12.6 billion, while Russia spent $9.5 billion, marking a 6% increase compared with the previous year.

ICAN said the rise reflects continued investments in nuclear modernization programs and broader military expansion efforts by major powers amid growing geopolitical tensions worldwide.