how many nuclear weapons does china have

As of 2025, China is estimated to possess approximately 600 nuclear warheads. This number has been growing rapidly, with China adding about 100 new warheads annually since 2023. China’s nuclear arsenal is expanding faster than any other nuclear-armed country and now exceeds the combined nuclear stockpiles of the UK and France. Despite this growth, China's nuclear arsenal remains the third largest in the world, behind the United States and Russia. China is also developing a nuclear triad (land, sea, and air-based delivery systems) and has completed or is near completion of around 350 new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos, which could potentially enable it to match the ICBM counts of the U.S. and Russia by the end of this decade. Projections estimate that China could increase its stockpile to between 750 and 1,500 warheads by 2035. Therefore, the current estimated number of China's nuclear warheads is around 600 in 2025, with ongoing rapid expansion.