By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA, June 8 (Reuters) – Spending on nuclear weapons by the world’s nine nuclear‑armed states rose almost a fifth in 2025, reaching $119 billion, according to a report from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) released on Tuesday.
The 19% jump from 2024 represents the highest annual expenditure on nuclear weapons tracked by the campaign, which has monitored spending by the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel since 2020.
• The United States spent $69.2 billion, more than all other nuclear states combined, and recorded the largest increase at 22%.
• The U.S. is expanding overall military spending as it rebuilds its nuclear arsenal, ICAN notes.
• China, the second‑largest spender, increased its allocation by 7% to $13.5 billion.
• Britain surpassed Russia to become the third‑largest spender, up 17% to $12.6 billion, while Russia spent $9.5 billion, a 6% rise.
ICAN, a 2017 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, calls for the total elimination of nuclear weapons.