Which countries have nuclear weapons--and how many?
FILE-Visitors walk past China's first nuclear missile (C) on display at the Military Museum in Beijing. (Photo credit should read TEH ENG KOON/AFP via Getty Images)
There are nine countries that claim to have nuclear weapons or are believed to possess them.
The Associated Press reported that the first nations to have nuclear arms were the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom, the five original weapons states.
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According to the AP, these five countries are signers of the Nuclear Nonproliferation, which requires countries that don’t have nuclear weapons not to build or acquire them, and those nations that do to "pursue negotiations in good faith" with a goal of limiting their nuclear arms use.
How many nuclear weapons do the nine countries have?
By the numbers:
Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates that the nine countries had the following stockpiles of military nuclear warheads as of January 2025:
- Russia: 4,309
- United States: 3,700
- China: 600
- France: 290
- United Kingdom: 225
- India: 180
- Pakistan: 170
- Israel: 90
- North Korea: 50
The conflict between Israel and Iran has raised concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. Iran has claimed that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only and U.S. intelligence agencies have examined that Tehran is not actively pursuing the bomb now. But the country in recent years has enhanced uranium to up to 60% purity, which is near weapons-grade levels of 90%.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press, which cites data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute about countries with nuclear weapons. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.