We are entering a new period, as revealed by the FAS data on the nuclear arsenal published in the SIPRI 2024 directory

Goodbye, decades of nuclear weapons reduction?

Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda of the FAS Nuclear Information Project write in the new SIPRI Yearbook, released today, that global nuclear arsenals are growing, massive modernization programs are underway, and nuclear weapons are becoming increasingly most important in military strategies and rhetoric.

It is clear that the gradual reductions in nuclear stockpiles that characterized the post-Cold War period are over and the world is falling back into nuclear competition and – in some cases – an arms race.

This development stands in stark contrast to the promises made by many nuclear-armed states to reduce nuclear risks and achieve a world without nuclear weapons.

The SIPRI Yearbook is published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and is one of the most widely cited sources of information on nuclear weapons. Nuclear data is derived from the research and analysis that the Nuclear Information Project uses to produce the Status of World Nuclear Forces on the FAS website.

The SIPRI chapter describes the nuclear weapons modernization programs underway in each nuclear-armed state and provides estimates of the number of nuclear warheads each country possesses. Together, the research team, which includes Kristensen, Korda, Eliana Johns and Mackenzie Knight, estimates that the combined global inventory of nuclear warheads is approximately 12 120. Among these, around 3,900 are estimated to be deployed on missiles and aircraft (2,100 of which are on high operational alert on ballistic missiles). Thousands of warheads (some 5,680) are stored in special repositories to be deployed if necessary. The rest 2,540 one or two warheads are removed and awaiting dismantling.

Additionally, with increased nuclear competition, the research team reports that government transparency about nuclear forces is decreasing.

Read it here: nuclear chapter of the SIPRI Yearbook 2024

This research was made possible through generous contributions from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, Longview Philanthropy, New-Land Foundation, Plowshares Fund, Prospect Hill Foundation, and individual donors.