Nuclear weapons spending hits record $91.4 billion in 2023 – ICAN

In 2023, nine nuclear-armed states spent $91.4 billion on their arsenals, with the highest expenditures coming from the USA, China, and Russia, as reported by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

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The study revealed that global nuclear weapons spending in 2023 exceeded the previous year's figure by $10.7 billion.

Overall, nine countries – France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the USA, and China – spent $91.4 billion on their nuclear armaments.

ICAN highlighted that this equates to approximately $174,000 being spent on nuclear weapons every minute worldwide.

The USA leads in nuclear arsenal spending, allocating $51.5 billion (80%), the highest among all nuclear-armed states combined.

China follows with $11.8 billion and Russia with $8.3 billion.

The UK, whose funding has been increasing for the second consecutive year, spent $8.1 billion in 2023, according to researchers. Next in line are France ($6.1 billion), India ($2.7 billion), Israel ($1.1 billion), Pakistan ($1 billion), and North Korea ($0.9 billion).

Over the past five years, $387 billion has been spent on nuclear weapons, with annual expenditures rising by 34%. These profits encourage arms manufacturers to spend money on public policy, influencing public attitudes toward nuclear weapons through the support of think tanks, ICAN said.

The report's authors claim that in 2023, at least $123 million was spent on hiring over 540 lobbyists and funding key think tanks that shape nuclear debates.

Read also: NATO discussing deployment of more nuclear weapons due to threats from Russia, China – Stoltenberg