The nine nuclear powers invested 19 percent more in nuclear weapons arsenals last year than in the previous year.
Jun 9, 2026, 3:19 amJun 9, 2026, 3:19 am
This emerges from a report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). It puts the total amount at 119 billion dollars (almost 94 billion francs). This means that these countries together would have spent almost 3,000 francs per second on their nuclear weapons arsenals last year.
Protest signs in the USA on the occasion of Hiroshima Memorial Day.Image: keystone
The organization was the driving force behind the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. She received the Nobel Peace Prize for this in 2017. The contract came into force in 2021.
In 2025, the US would have spent more money on nuclear weapons than the eight other countries with such weapons combined, ICAN reports. In total, they invested $69.2 billion, followed by China with $13.5 billion. Great Britain replaced Russia in third place, with investments of 12.6 billion dollars. In Russia it was 9.5 billion dollars.
Who has the most nuclear weapons?
According to ICAN, Russia has the most nuclear weapons with 5,420. Behind them she names the USA with 5,042, China with 620, France with 300, Great Britain with 225, India with 190, Pakistan with 170, Israel with 90 and North Korea with 60.
Mathematically, a single day’s investment could ensure that two million people no longer have to worry about their next meal, reports ICAN. With the resources from the last three years alone, hunger in the world could have been ended. “The 2025 expenditure could have covered the regular budget of the United Nations for 32 years,” the report says. (sda/dpa)