China is accelerating its nuclear weapons buildup and currently has 500 warheads, significantly more than India's 172 and Pakistan's 170. This growth marks the fastest expansion globally, with some warheads on high operational alert. The nuclear stockpiles stand at: Russia (4,380 warheads), US (3,708), France (290), UK (225), Israel (90), and North Korea (50). An estimated 3,904 of these warheads are deployed with missiles and aircraft, with the rest being kept in storage.

Source: Economic Times June 19, 2024 16:57 UTC