Global spending on nuclear weapons rose by 13% to a record $91.4B in 2023, $10.7B more compared to the previous year, according to estimates by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).
All nine nuclear-armed countries increased their spending on nuclear weapons, with the US showing the largest increase of almost 18% to $51.5B compared to 2022, more than all other countries combined, the report says.
The report reveals that while the global number of nuclear warheads continues to fall, the number of operational nuclear warheads is on the rise, with the increase in US spending primarily due to the growing threat from countries such as Russia, China, and North Korea. While the US would prefer a world without nuclear weapons, they are an ultimate security guarantee for the free world and a means of maintaining peace amid increasingly tense international relations.