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Commodities June 8, 2026 06:09 PM

Global nuclear weapons spending jumps to $119 billion, led by U.S. increase, campaign group reports

ICAN records a near-20% rise in 2025 spending across nine nuclear-armed states, with the United States accounting for more than half

By Derek Hwang
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Spending on nuclear arsenals by the world's nine nuclear-armed states rose by 19% in 2025 to reach $119 billion, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) reported. The United States accounted for $69.2 billion of that total and recorded the largest increase. China, Britain and Russia also increased their nuclear budgets.

Global nuclear weapons spending jumps to $119 billion, led by U.S. increase, campaign group reports
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Key Points

  • Total global nuclear weapons spending among nine nuclear-armed states rose 19% to $119 billion in 2025.
  • The United States accounted for $69.2 billion of the total and recorded the largest increase at 22%; China, Britain and Russia also increased their spending.
  • The rise reflects wider increases in military spending with the U.S. noted as rebuilding elements of its nuclear arsenal; sectors impacted include defense and military contractors.

GENEVA, June 8 - Spending on nuclear weapons among the nine states that possess nuclear arms rose sharply in 2025, reaching a total of $119 billion, according to a report published by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

The increase of 19% from 2024 marks the highest level of spending recorded by ICAN since it began tracking annual nuclear arms expenditure in 2020. The campaign group said the aggregated figure covers the expenditures of the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel.

ICAN's breakdown shows that the United States remained by far the largest single spender on nuclear arms, allocating $69.2 billion in 2025 - more than the combined totals of the other eight nuclear-armed states. That represented the largest year-on-year rise among the countries tracked, a 22% increase.

The report noted that the U.S. increase forms part of a broader uptick in military spending alongside programs to rebuild elements of its nuclear arsenal.

China was the second-largest spender, with expenditure rising 7% to $13.5 billion. Britain moved ahead of Russia to become the third-largest national spender on nuclear arms, increasing its outlays by 17% to $12.6 billion. Russia's nuclear spending also rose, by 6%, to $9.5 billion.

ICAN, the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, advocates for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. The group's reporting on annual nuclear arms expenditure is intended to track trends in national investments in nuclear capabilities.

Key context and figures

  • Total reported nuclear weapons spending in 2025: $119 billion.
  • Overall change from 2024: +19%.
  • United States: $69.2 billion, +22% year-on-year; largest single-country total.
  • China: $13.5 billion, +7% year-on-year.
  • Britain: $12.6 billion, +17% year-on-year; overtook Russia for third place.
  • Russia: $9.5 billion, +6% year-on-year.

ICAN's dataset covers the nine states known to possess nuclear weapons and is aimed at revealing spending trends rather than providing policy recommendations. The report's figures highlight an upward trajectory in allocated funds for nuclear capabilities in 2025 compared with the prior year.

Observers of defense budgets and markets may use this data to assess how government resource allocations are shifting within national defence priorities, particularly in relation to nuclear modernization and broader military spending increases.

Risks

  • Higher nuclear weapons budgets may redirect government funding toward defense and away from other public priorities - this impacts government fiscal allocation and sectors outside defense.
  • Sustained increases create uncertainty for future defense procurement planning and market expectations in the defense industry.
  • Rising national expenditures on nuclear capabilities may intensify strategic competition among nuclear-armed states, affecting defense-related markets and procurement cycles.

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