India spent $92.1 billion on its military in 2025 – the fifth highest in the world – according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a Sweden-based think tank. That is 8.9 per cent more than what spent the year before. The report, released on Monday, also took note of the serious military standoff between in May 2025, calling it an “unusually severe military crisis.”
World military spending highest ever
Countries around the world spent a record $2.9 trillion on their militaries in 2025 – equal to 2.5 per cent of the entire world’s economic output. This is the eleventh year in a row that global military spending has gone up, and the highest figure SIPRI has ever recorded.
The United States spent the most – $954 billion – which is roughly one-third of all military spending in the world, even though it was 7.5 per cent less than what the US spent in 2024. China came second at $336 billion, followed by Russia at $190 billion, then Germany, and then India at fifth place.
“Taken together, the 15 largest military spenders accounted for 80 per cent of the world’s military expenditure in 2025 ($2,304 billion),” SIPRI said, noting that many of them were involved – either directly or indirectly – in the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
What report says about the India-Pakistan conflict
SIPRI listed the India-Pakistan clash as one of the most dangerous flashpoints of the year. The report said India struck Pakistani air and missile bases – some of which are believed to have nuclear-related roles – but noted that “both sides took steps to avoid escalation.”
The report also pointed out that it was the first time India and Pakistan openly used cyberattacks as part of an armed conflict. In its timeline of major events for the year, SIPRI recorded: “May 7–10: India and Pakistan exchange intense cross-border fire.”
“An unusually severe military crisis erupted between India and Pakistan in May 2025,” the report said, adding that “India and Pakistan are overtly integrating cyber operations into armed conflict for the first time.”
How many nuclear weapons do India and Pakistan have
As of January 2026, India had around 190 nuclear warheads, and Pakistan had around 170, according to SIPRI estimates. India is believed to have added slightly to its stockpile in 2025 and is working on missiles that can travel longer distances.
“The modernisation programme is increasingly focused on developing long-range weapons capable of reaching targets throughout China, although planning also continues to be focused on India’s long-standing rivalry with Pakistan,” SIPRI said.
Pakistan, too, is building new missiles and producing more nuclear material. “Pakistan continued to develop new delivery systems and accumulate fissile material in 2025, suggesting that its nuclear arsenal might expand over the coming decade,” the report said.
In total, nine countries – the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel – held around 12,187 nuclear weapons at the start of 2026. While the overall number of warheads in the world is slowly going down, SIPRI said this is only because the US and Russia are getting rid of old, retired weapons.
“Key findings of SIPRI Yearbook 2026 are that states are increasingly relying on nuclear weapons as instruments of national power – reversing decades of efforts to reduce the numbers and role of nuclear weapons – even as the risks of miscalculation and escalation are rising,” the institute said.
India also among biggest arms buyers
Between 2021 and 2025, India was one of the five biggest buyers of weapons in the world. The other four were Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan. Together, these five countries made up 35 per cent of all global arms imports during that period.
(Inputs from PTI)
