SIPRI Yearbook 2022:
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) launched the findings of SIPRI Yearbook 2022, which assesses the current state of armaments, disarmament and international security.
- The nine nuclear-armed states—the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)—continue to modernize their nuclear arsenals and although the total number of nuclear weapons declined slightly between January 2021 and January 2022, the number will probably increase in the next decade.
- India had 160 nuclear warheads as of January 2022 and it appears to be expanding its nuclear arsenal.
- Nuclear warheads are the explosive head of a missile or torpedo that uses nuclear energy.
- India’s nuclear stockpile increased from 156 in January 2021 to 160 in January 2022.
- China had 350 nuclear warheads in January 2021 as well as January 2022.
- India does not share official data on its nuclear arsenal.
- Russia and the USA together possess over 90% of all nuclear weapons.
- SIPRI identified 164 states as importers of major arms in 2016-20.
- The five largest arms importers were Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia and China, which together accounted for 36% of total arms imports.
- The region that received the largest volume of major arms supplies in 2016-20 was Asia and Oceania, accounting for 42% of the global total, followed by the Middle East, which received 33%.
- The five largest suppliers in 2016-20 – the United States, Russia, France, Germany and China – accounted for 76% of the total volume of exports of major arms.
