Report: Israel Spent $1.1B on Nuclear Weapons in 2023

By Yoni Weiss

In 2023, Israel allocated approximately $1.1 billion to its nuclear weapons program, according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). ICAN, a pressure group honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017, places Israel seventh worldwide in nuclear weapons expenditure. This spending is slightly higher than Pakistan’s estimated $1 billion and North Korea’s $900 million for the same year.

ICAN reports that Israel, along with the U.S., China, the U.K., France, Russia, India, and North Korea, collectively spent $91.4 billion on nuclear weapons in 2023. They highlight that this amount could have addressed 27% of the global funding shortfall needed to combat climate change. Additionally, the money spent on nuclear weapons in just one minute could have been used to plant one million trees.

Founded in Australia, ICAN is now headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.