Kathmandu, June 6: Countries across the world are intensifying efforts to expand their nuclear arsenals, with Russia, the United States, and China emerging as the top three nuclear powers. The surge comes as Iran prepares to enter the nuclear club and geopolitical tensions rise globally.

A Japanese think tank has reported that the number of ready nuclear warheads across nine nuclear-armed nations has increased to approximately 9,600, slightly higher than last year.

China is leading the arms race in terms of speed, increasing its nuclear stockpile by 150% over the past five years. The country now possesses around 600 nuclear warheads, up from 240 in 2018. Chinese President Xi Jinping has reportedly ordered accelerated nuclear development.

Russia continues to have the largest number of deployed nuclear warheads, with 4,310, while the United States follows with 3,700. Although these numbers reflect slight decreases from previous years (Russia by 0.8% and the US by 2%), both countries are also actively modernizing their arsenals.

The other nuclear-armed countries—France, Britain, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea—also continue to maintain or expand their capabilities. Notably, North Korea is said to be rapidly growing its arsenal.

In South Asia, India and Pakistan, both nuclear rivals, further escalated concerns last month with mass military firings, intensifying fears of a potential conflict in the region.

This year also marks 80 years since the first use of nuclear weapons in warfare, yet the global push toward nuclear buildup shows no signs of slowing.