Global spending on nuclear weapons rose sharply in 2024, with the world’s nine nuclear-armed nations increasing their budgets by 11%, according to a new report from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The total now stands at $100.2 billion, up by $10 billion from the previous year, with the majority of funds directed toward modernising and, in some cases, expanding nuclear arsenals.
The report, released Friday by ICAN—a global coalition advocating for the total elimination of nuclear arms—highlighted the stark disparity between nuclear spending and other global priorities. “Nuclear-armed countries could have paid the United Nations’ budget 28 times with what they spent to build and maintain nuclear weapons in 2024,” the report stated.
The United States accounted for more than half of all nuclear weapons expenditure, with a staggering $56.8 billion spent in 2024 alone—an increase of $5.3 billion from the previous year. This amount exceeded the combined nuclear spending of the eight other nuclear-armed countries.
China followed with an estimated $12.5 billion in nuclear spending, while Britain spent $10.4 billion, marking a $2.2 billion increase. Other nuclear-armed states include France, Russia, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea.
While geopolitical tensions—especially the war in Ukraine—have influenced defence strategies in Europe, ICAN’s policy and research coordinator Alicia Sanders-Zakre said the sharp rise in spending appears to be more closely linked to long-term military contracts and the high cost of developing nuclear delivery systems.
“In terms of the increase in spending in the UK and France, we certainly have seen, at least in the rhetoric of political leaders, references to the ongoing war in Ukraine. That could be playing a role,” Sanders-Zakre told reporters during a briefing in Geneva. “But the driving force seems to be structural costs and pre-existing programmes, not immediate security concerns.”
Britain and several NATO allies have identified Russia as the main security threat to Europe, prompting a reassessment of defence priorities and, in some cases, commitments to increase military spending as a share of GDP.
ICAN’s report calls into question the necessity and sustainability of such spending levels, urging nuclear-armed states to shift focus toward disarmament and diplomacy amid growing global tensions.
Melissa Enoch
Follow us on:
