SIPRI Report 2026: India is the 5th largest country in the world in military expenditure, also ahead of Pakistan in the nuclear arms race.

Stockholm: The latest annual report of the international think-tank ‘Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’ (SIPRI) has made many major revelations regarding the global defense budget and nuclear weapons. According to this report, India has become the fifth largest military spender in the world with a huge defense budget of US $ 92.1 billion (about Rs 7.6 lakh crore) in the year 2025.

The report also specifically mentions the serious military tension that arose between India and Pakistan last year and the strategic preparations of both the countries.

India ahead in nuclear power, focus on competing with China

According to SIPRI’s assessment, India’s stockpile of nuclear weapons has increased to about 190 by the beginning of January 2026, while neighboring Pakistan has an estimated 170 nuclear weapons.

India has strengthened its nuclear stockpile a little further in the year 2025 and is continuously developing new missile systems.

According to the report, as part of the modernization of its army, India is now paying more attention to such long-range weapons which can take the whole of China under its control. However, traditional security challenges with Pakistan also remain central to India’s strategies.

Pakistan is also increasing its strength

On the other hand, Pakistan has also continued to collect new weapon systems and nuclear material in 2025. It has been estimated that Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile may also increase rapidly in the coming 10 years.

The report also cites a brief military crisis in May 2025, when India retaliated against Pakistan’s air and missile targets. At that time, there was a possibility of tension reaching nuclear level, but both the countries controlled the situation by showing wisdom.

Which country is where in terms of military expenditure? (Figures for 2025-26)

Globally, total military expenditure has increased for the 11th consecutive year and has reached a record level of 2.9 trillion dollars. The top 5 countries in terms of defense budget are:

How many nuclear weapons are there in the world?

According to SIPRI data, by the beginning of 2026, the world’s 9 superpowers (America, Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel) together have a total of 12,187 nuclear weapons. Apart from this, the report also underlined that in many regional conflicts in the year 2025, along with conventional weapons, the use of ‘Cyber ​​Warfare’ has also increased rapidly.