Global nuclear weapons spending hits record high, report says

Global nuclear weapons spending hits record high, report says Global spending on nuclear weapons reached a record $119 billion last year, according to a report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The nine nuclear-armed states, including the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel, increased their combined spending by 19 percent compared with 2024, the report said. ICAN said the United States accounted for $69.2 billion of the total, exceeding the combined spending of all other nuclear-armed countries. Susi Snyder, ICAN’s programme director, criticised the increase, arguing that governments were investing billions in nuclear arsenals despite rising living costs and economic pressures. She said nuclear deterrence offered a “false promise of security” and warned of the catastrophic consequences of any use of nuclear weapons.