The Countries Holding The World's Nuclear Arsenal

India and Pakistan, currently experiencing a ceasefire after clashes along their disputed border, have caught global attention as the two neighbors are both armed with nuclear weapons. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), each nation owns around 170 nuclear warheads.

As the following chart shows, India has added 8 nuclear warheads to its arsenal since January 2023, increasing from 164 warheads to 172. North Korea and China also expanded their arsenals in this time period, bringing their total figures to an estimated 50 warheads and 500 warheads, respectively.

Currently, there are estimated to be 9,585 nuclear warheads in military stockpiles for potential use across nine countries, with Russia and the U.S. accounting for 8,088 of these. There are also an estimated 2,536 retired warheads that are yet to be dismantled.

The two European nuclear powers, France and the UK, together have 515 operational nuclear warheads. With the exception of North Korea, none of the nations in possession of nuclear warheads have tested them since the 1990s.