India’s Nuclear Arsenal Estimated at 190 Warheads in 2026

Why in News?

India’s nuclear arsenal has been estimated at 190 warheads in 2026 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). SIPRI’s Yearbook 2026 estimates India’s nuclear inventory at 190 warheads as of January 2026. FAS has also estimated India’s total inventory at 190 warheads.

India’s Nuclear Arsenal

India is one of the nine nuclear-armed states identified by SIPRI. SIPRI estimates that India had 190 warheads in its total inventory in January 2026. Of these, around 12 warheads were considered deployed, while the remainder were held in storage. SIPRI notes that India and China may now occasionally deploy a small number of warheads on missiles during peacetime.

FAS also estimates India’s total inventory at 190 warheads. It cautions that Indian nuclear-force estimates involve considerable uncertainty because neither the Indian government nor Western governments publicly disclose the complete size of the arsenal.

India’s Nuclear Doctrine

India officially follows the principle of “No First Use” (NFU) and maintains credible minimum deterrence as the broad foundation of its nuclear doctrine. India’s nuclear deterrent is supported by a nuclear triad, comprising:

• Land-based ballistic missiles
• Nuclear-capable aircraft
• Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs)

The Arihant-class submarines form an important component of India’s sea-based nuclear deterrent.

Global Nuclear Forces in 2026

SIPRI estimates that the world’s nine nuclear-armed states collectively possessed approximately 12,187 nuclear warheads in January 2026.

The nine states are: United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel.

All nine continued to modernise their nuclear arsenals during 2025.

India Nuclear Arsenal 2026 and Pakistan

SIPRI estimates Pakistan’s nuclear inventory at 170 warheads, compared with India’s 190. Importantly, India was already estimated to have a larger arsenal than Pakistan in SIPRI’s 2025 assessment, when India was estimated at 180 and Pakistan at 170.

Fissile Material and Future Expansion

India primarily uses plutonium for its nuclear weapons programme. FAS notes that estimates of India’s fissile-material stocks and warhead numbers remain uncertain because of limited publicly available information. India also continues to develop new nuclear delivery systems, with SIPRI highlighting the country’s ongoing modernisation and development of longer-range systems.

India Nuclear Arsenal 2026: Important Facts