As of 2021, nine countries are known to have nuclear weapons. There are about 14,000 nuclear weapons in the world, a number that has been declining since the Cold War ended.
While the exact number of nukes each country has are closely guarded state secrets, below is an estimated list that the Arms Control Association and Federation of American Scientists came up with.
RUSSIA
Total nuclear weapons: 7,000
Total nuclear tests: 715
First tested: 1949
Most recent test: 1990
UNITED STATES
Total nuclear weapons: 6,500
Total nuclear tests: 1,030
First tested: 1945
Most recent test: 1992
FRANCE
Total nuclear weapons: 300
Total nuclear tests: 210
First tested: 1960
Most recent test: 1996
CHINA
Total nuclear weapons: 270
Total nuclear tests: 45
First tested: October 1964
Most recent test: 1996
UNITED KINGDOM
Total nuclear weapons: 215
Total nuclear tests: 45
First tested: 1952
Most recent test: 1991
PAKISTAN
Total nuclear weapons: 140
Total nuclear tests: 2
First tested: 1998
Most recent test: 1998
INDIA
Total nuclear weapons: 120
Total nuclear tests: 3
First tested: 1974
Most recent test: 1998
ISRAEL*
Total nuclear weapons: 75
Total nuclear tests: 0
First tested: No confirmed tests.
Most recent test: No confirmed tests.
NORTH KOREA
Total nuclear weapons: 15
Total nuclear tests: 7
First tested: 2006
Most recent test: 2018
*Israel has never confirmed they possess nuclear weapons.
INTERESTING FACTS
- 10% of U.S. nuclear energy comes from recycled Russian nuclear weapons.
- Between 1951 and 1992, there were 928 announced nuclear tests at Nevada test sites. 828 of these were underground.
- On February 5, 1958, the U.S. Air Force lost a 7,600-pound hydrogen bomb in the Wassaw Sound in Savannah, Georgia. No one has ever found it.
INTERESTING VIDEO
INTERESTING REFERENCES
- Independent.co.uk – The nine countries that have nuclear weapons
- Wikipedia.org – List of states with nuclear weapons
- KickButtFacts.com – 25 Interesting Facts About Nuclear Weapons
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