India’s nuclear modernisation programme is increasingly focused on developing long-range weapons capable of striking targets throughout China, said global arms watchdog Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, or SIPRI, on Monday.

However, it added that India’s nuclear planning continues to be shaped by its long-standing rivalry with Pakistan.

The organisation said that New Delhi slightly expanded its nuclear arsenal in 2025 and continued developing new nuclear delivery systems.

According to the organisation’s assessment, India has 190 nuclear warheads, 10 more than last year, while Pakistan has 170, the same as last year.

Pakistan has continued to develop new delivery systems and accumulate fissile material, indicating that its nuclear arsenal might expand over the coming decade, it added.

The organisation mentioned that during the four-day military conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad in May 2025, India attacked Pakistani air and missile bases “that are likely to have nuclear-related roles”, but both sides took steps to avoid escalation.

China is estimated to have 620 nuclear warheads. The report said that China is expanding its nuclear arsenal faster than any other country. It added that China could have as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as Russia or the United States by the end of the decade.

The report also estimated that the world had 12,187 nuclear warheads in January 2026. Of these, about 9,745 were in military stockpiles for potential use. Around 4,012 warheads were deployed with missiles and aircraft, and the rest were in central storage.

It added that between 2,100 and 2,200 deployed warheads were on high operational alert, with most belonging to Russia and the US.

China and India may now occasionally keep a small number of nuclear warheads mounted on missiles during peacetime, the report said.

Written by Tanya Shrivastava. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.