China’s nuclear warhead inventory has grown to approximately 620 as of January 2026, according to the latest yearbook from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. That’s an increase of 20 warheads from the 600 estimated in early 2025, cementing China’s status as the fastest-growing nuclear arsenal among the world’s nine nuclear-armed states.
What SIPRI actually found
The SIPRI Yearbook 2026, released on June 8, breaks down China’s nuclear growth into two categories that matter: deployed warheads and operational forces rose to around 34, up from 24 the previous year. Stored warheads climbed from 576 to 586.
The modernization goes beyond raw numbers. SIPRI flagged the construction of new intercontinental ballistic missile silo fields in northern and eastern desert and mountainous regions of the country. Hundreds of missiles are being loaded into these facilities, a pace that outstrips every other nuclear power on the planet.
The collective inventory of nuclear warheads held by all nine nuclear-armed states sits at approximately 12,187 worldwide.
