China’s nuclear stockpile climbs to 620 warheads, SIPRI says

China’s nuclear inventory rose to an estimated 620 warheads in January 2026 from 600 a year earlier, according to the SIPRI Yearbook 2026. SIPRI assesses that 34 warheads are deployed and about 586 remain in storage, giving China the fastest-growing arsenal among the nuclear-armed states it tracks. The institute says hundreds of missiles have been installed in three large silo fields in northern China, while roughly 30 additional silos are nearing completion in eastern mountain areas. The estimates are based on public information because Beijing does not publish a detailed breakdown of its nuclear forces.