India adding to its nuclear stockpile as regional arms race intensifies: Report

India is expanding its nuclear arsenal while Pakistan continues to advance its delivery systems, according to a new report by a leading Swedish arms control institute.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in its latest annual yearbook, warned that the South Asian arms race reflects a broader global trend of intensifying nuclear competition. The report notes that nearly all nuclear-armed countries are upgrading their arsenals, contributing to what it describes as a 'dangerous new nuclear arms race.'
SIPRI said that the nine nuclear-armed nations — the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea — are not only modernising existing weapons but also developing new nuclear capabilities. This buildup is occurring against the backdrop of weakening global arms control frameworks and ongoing conflicts, including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
“The global security situation continues to deteriorate,” SIPRI stated, emphasizing that rising geopolitical tensions are driving countries to pursue more advanced and diversified nuclear forces.
Commenting on the report’s findings, Matt Korda, Associate Senior Researcher with SIPRI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme, said, 'Nuclear weapons do not provide security, as evident from the recurring tensions between India and Pakistan. Instead, they introduce significant risks of escalation and catastrophic miscalculation, especially in an era dominated by misinformation.'
Korda stressed that rather than enhancing national security, the reliance on nuclear deterrence could ultimately increase threats to civilian populations.