Fact Sheet

Nuclear Disarmament India

Part of Nuclear Disarmament Resource Collection

Nuclear Disarmament India

Arsenal and Missile Types

Non-NPT State with Nuclear Weapons

Arsenal Size

  • Estimated stockpile: 180 warheads.
  • Warheads are not deployed on launchers but kept in separate storage facilities.1

Key Delivery Systems

  • Nuclear-capable aircraft: French-manufactured Mirage 2000H “Vajra” and British/French-designed Jaguar IS/IB “Shamsher.” India also purchased 36 nuclear-capable Rafale fighter-bombers from France in 2016, which could be convert to serve a nuclear role.
  • Land-based Ballistic Missiles: Short-range Prithvi-II, Agni-I, and medium-range Agni-II, III, and IV (medium-range Agni-P, intermediate-range Agni-V, and intercontinental-range Agni VI under development).
  • Sea-based Ballistic Missiles: K-15 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) (K-4 SLBM under development).2

Capabilities and Developments

Estimated Military Fissile Material Stockpiles

  • Estimated Weapons-grade plutonium: 0.7 ± 0.16 tons
  • Estimated weapons-grade HEU: 5.7 ± 2 tons3

Commitments and Policies

Disarmament and Commitments to Reduce Arsenal Size

  • India has not signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)
  • In the 1999 Draft Nuclear Doctrine, India states that “Global, verifiable and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament is a national security objective. India shall continue its efforts to achieve the goal of a nuclear weapon-free world at an early date.”4

Future Commitments

  • India supports the commencement of negotiations on a non-discriminatory, universal, and verifiable Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT). It asserts that the treaty should only ban the future production of fissile material and exclude restrictions on the current stockpile.5
  • India did not participate in the negotiation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in the United Nations in 2017.6

Nuclear Weapons Related Policies

Nuclear Testing Policy

  • India has observed a nuclear testing moratorium since May 1998.7
  • India signed and ratified the Partial Test Ban Treaty (banning atmospheric, outer space, and underwater testing).8
  • India has not signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). It has been stated that India will only support the treaty if the nuclear weapon states commit to a time-bound nuclear disarmament.9

Nuclear Weapons Use

  • India maintains credible minimum deterrence and adopts the No First Use policy as well as non-use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states. However, India may use nuclear weapons against a major attack by biological or chemical weapons.10
  • India ratified the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities between India and Pakistan in 1989.11
  • India agreed on the Lahore Declaration with Pakistan in February 1999 to reduce the risk of an accidental or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons.12

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Glossary

Deployment
The positioning of military forces – conventional and/or nuclear – in conjunction with military planning.
Submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)
SLBM: A ballistic missile that is carried on and launched from a submarine.
Fissile material
Fissile material: A type of fissionable material capable of sustaining a chain reaction by undergoing fission upon the absorption of low-energy (or thermal) neutrons. Uranium-235, Plutonium-239, and Uranium-233 are the most prominently discussed fissile materials for peaceful and nuclear weapons purposes.
Weapons-grade material
Weapons-grade material: Refers to the nuclear materials that are most suitable for the manufacture of nuclear weapons, e.g., uranium (U) enriched to 90 percent U-235 or plutonium (Pu) that is primarily composed of Pu-239 and contains less than 7% Pu-240. Crude nuclear weapons (i.e., improvised nuclear devices), could be fabricated from lower-grade materials.
Plutonium (Pu)
Plutonium (Pu): A transuranic element with atomic number 94, produced when uranium is irradiated in a reactor. It is used primarily in nuclear weapons and, along with uranium, in mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel. Plutonium-239, a fissile isotope, is the most suitable isotope for use in nuclear weapons.
Highly enriched uranium (HEU)
Highly enriched uranium (HEU): Refers to uranium with a concentration of more than 20% of the isotope U-235. Achieved via the process of enrichment. See entry for enriched uranium.
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)
The NPT: Signed in 1968, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the most widely adhered-to international security agreement. The “three pillars” of the NPT are nuclear disarmament, nonproliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Article VI of the NPT commits states possessing nuclear weapons to negotiate in good faith toward halting the arms race and the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. The Treaty stipulates that non-nuclear-weapon states will not seek to acquire nuclear weapons, and will accept International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards on their nuclear activities, while nuclear weapon states commit not to transfer nuclear weapons to other states. All states have a right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and should assist one another in its development. The NPT provides for conferences of member states to review treaty implementation at five-year intervals. Initially of a 25-year duration, the NPT was extended indefinitely in 1995. For additional information, see the NPT.
Disarmament
Though there is no agreed-upon legal definition of what disarmament entails within the context of international agreements, a general definition is the process of reducing the quantity and/or capabilities of military weapons and/or military forces.
Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT)
The Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty us currently under discussion in the Conference on Disarmament (CD) to end the production of weapons-usable fissile material (highly enriched uranium and plutonium) for nuclear weapons. For additional information, see the FMCT.
Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT)
The PTBT: Also known as the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT), the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water prohibits nuclear weapons tests "or any other nuclear explosion" in the atmosphere, in outer space, and under water. While the treaty does not ban tests underground, it does prohibit nuclear explosions in this environment if they cause "radioactive debris to be present outside the territorial limits of the State under whose jurisdiction or control" the explosions were conducted. The treaty is of unlimited duration. For additional information, see the PTBT.
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)
The CTBT: Opened for signature in 1996 at the UN General Assembly, the CTBT prohibits all nuclear testing if it enters into force. The treaty establishes the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) to ensure the implementation of its provisions and verify compliance through a global monitoring system upon entry into force. Pending the treaty’s entry into force, the Preparatory Commission of the CTBTO is charged with establishing the International Monitoring System (IMS) and promoting treaty ratifications. CTBT entry into force is contingent on ratification by 44 Annex II states. For additional information, see the CTBT.
First-use
The introduction of nuclear weapons, or other weapons of mass destruction, into a conflict. In agreeing to a "no-first-use" policy, a country states that it will not use nuclear weapons first, but only under retaliatory circumstances. See entry for No-First-Use
Non-nuclear weapon state (NNWS)
Non-nuclear weapon state (NNWS): Under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), NNWS are states that had not detonated a nuclear device prior to 1 January 1967, and who agree in joining the NPT to refrain from pursuing nuclear weapons (that is, all state parties to the NPT other than the United States, the Soviet Union/Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China).
Ratification
Ratification: The implementation of the formal process established by a country to legally bind its government to a treaty, such as approval by a parliament. In the United States, treaty ratification requires approval by the president after he or she has received the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate. Following ratification, a country submits the requisite legal instrument to the treaty’s depository governments Procedures to ratify a treaty follow its signature.

See entries for Entry into force and Signature.
Lahore Declaration
The Lahore Declaration is an agreement in which India and Pakistan pledged to “take immediate steps for reducing the risk of accidental or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons and discuss concepts and doctrines with a view to elaborating measures for confidence building in the nuclear and conventional fields, aimed at prevention of conflict.” For additional information, see the NTI Inventory.

Sources

  1. Hans M. Kristensen and Matt Korda, “6. World Nuclear Forces,” in SIPRI Yearbook 2025: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security, 56th ed., SIPRI Yearbook Series (Oxford University Press, 2025), www.sipri.org.
  2. Hans M. Kristensen et al., “Indian Nuclear Weapons, 2024,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 80, no. 5 (2024): 326–42, https://doi.org/10.1080/00963402.2024.2388470.
  3. “Countries: India,” International Panel on Fissile Materials, May 22, 2025, https://fissilematerials.org/countries/india.html.
  4. “India’s Draft Nuclear Doctrine,” Arms Control Association, accessed August 6, 2025, www.armscontrol.org
  5. “India’s Views ‘on a Treaty Banning the Production of Nuclear Explosive Devices, Including Possible Aspects Thereof’ for UNSG’s Report to Be Submitted in Accordance with UNGA Resolution 67/53 Adopted on December 3,2012,” United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, April 2021, http://documents.unoda.org.
  6. “India,” International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, accessed August 6, 2025, https://www.icanw.org/india.
  7. Nasir Hafeez, “The Legacy of India’s Nuclear Weapons Test,” Arms Control Association, November 2024, www.armscontrol.org
  8. “Partial Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (PTBT),” United Nations Treaty Collection, accessed August 6, 2025, https://treaties.un.org.
  9. Daryl Kimball, “Nuclear Testing and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) Timeline,” Arms Control Association, April 2025, www.armscontrol.org.
  10. “Cabinet Committee on Security Reviews Progress in Operationalizing India’s Nuclear Doctrine,” Prime Minister’s Office, January 4, 2003, https://archive.pib.gov.in.
  11. “Treaty Detail AGREEMENT ON THE PROHIBITION OF ATTACK AGAINST NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS AND FACILITIES BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN,” Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, accessed August 7, 2025, https://mea.gov.in/TreatyDetail.htm?815.
  12. “Lahore Declaration,” UN Peacemaker, accessed August 7, 2025, https://peacemaker.un.org/en/node/9233.
  1. Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, “Statement on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement at the First Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Review Conference, Cluster 1: Nuclear Disarmament and Security Assurances,” Reaching Critical Will, May 4, 2012, www.reachingcriticalwill.com.
  2. “India Pakistan Non-Attack Agreement,” Nuclear Threat Initiative, www.nti.org.
  3. “Countries: India,” International Panel on Fissile Materials, April 13, 2024, www.fissilematerials.org.
  4. Hans M. Kristensen and Matt Korda, “Nuclear Notebook: How many nuclear weapons does India have in 2022?” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 11 July 2022, https://thebulletin.org.
  5. Hans M. Kristensen and Matt Korda, “Indian nuclear weapons, 2022,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Vol. 78, No. 4 (2022), pp. 224-236.
  6. A. Vinod Kumar, “India and the CTBT: The Debate in New Delhi,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, November 4, 2009, www.thebulletin.org.
  7. “Lahore Agreement,” Nuclear Threat Initiative, www.nti.org.
  8. Zia Mian, M.V. Ramana, and R. Rajaraman, “India,” Reducing and Eliminating Nuclear Weapons: Country Perspectives on the Challenges to Nuclear Disarmament, International Panel on Fissile Materials, May 2010, www.fissilematerials.org.
  9. Devirupa Mitra, “India Joins Boycott of Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty Talks by Big Powers,” The Wire, March 29, 2017, www.thewire.in.
  10. Sachin Parashar, “FMCT: India sticks to stand, Pak dithers,” Times of India, September 24, 2010, www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
  11. M.V. Ramana, “India,” Assuring Destruction Forever: 2015 Edition, Reaching Critical Will, April 2015, www.reachingcriticalwill.org.
  12. Lora Saalman, “India’s no-first-use dilemma: Strategic consistency or ambiguity towards China and Pakistan,” Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, December 2, 2020, www.sipri.org.
  13. Sharon Squassoni and Amelia Armitage, “Reinforcing International Norms against Nuclear Testing,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, September 23, 2016, www.csis.org.
  14. United Nations, “Treaty banning nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere, in outer space and under water,” United Nations Treaty Collection, https://treaties.un.org.
  15. Hans Kristensen, Matt Korda, Eliana Johns, Mackenzie Knight, and Katie Kohn, “Status of World Nuclear Forces,” Federation of American Scientists, 29 March 2024, https://fas.org.

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