Eight sovereign states have publicly announced successful detonation of nuclear weapons.[1]Five are considered to be nuclear-weapon states (NWS) under the terms of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). In order of acquisition of nuclear weapons, these are the United States, Russia (the successor of the former Soviet Union), the United Kingdom, France, and China.
Other states that possess nuclear weapons are India, Pakistan, and North Korea. Since the NPT entered into force in 1970, these three states were not parties to the Treaty and have conducted overt nuclear tests. North Korea had been a party to the NPT but withdrew in 2003.
Israel is also generally understood to have nuclear weapons,[2][3][4][5][6] but does not acknowledge it, maintaining a policy of deliberate ambiguity.[7] Israel is estimated to possess somewhere between 75 and 400 nuclear warheads.[8][9] One possible motivation for nuclear ambiguity is deterrence with minimum political cost.[10][11]
States that formerly possessed nuclear weapons are South Africa (developed nuclear weapons but then disassembled its arsenal before joining the NPT)[12] and the former Soviet republics of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, whose weapons were repatriated to Russia.
According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the worldwide total inventory of nuclear weapons as of 2021 stood at 13,080. Around 30% of these are deployed with operational forces,[13] and more than 90% are owned by either Russia or the United States.[14][15]
Contents
- 1Statistics and force configuration
- 2Recognized nuclear-weapon states
- 3States declaring possession of nuclear weapons
- 4States indicated to possess nuclear weapons
- 5Launch authority
- 6Nuclear weapons sharing
- 7States formerly possessing nuclear weapons
- 8See also
- 9Notes
- 10References
- 11Bibliography
- 12External links
Statistics and force configuration[edit]
| Weapons of mass destruction |
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| Proliferation |
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The following is a list of states that have admitted the possession of nuclear weapons or are presumed to possess them, the approximate number of warheads under their control, and the year they tested their first weapon and their force configuration. This list is informally known in global politics as the "Nuclear Club".[16][17] With the exception of Russia and the United States (which have subjected their nuclear forces to independent verification under various treaties), these figures are estimates, in some cases quite unreliable estimates. In particular, under the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, thousands of Russian and U.S. nuclear warheads are inactive in stockpiles awaiting processing. The fissile material contained in the warheads can then be recycled for use in nuclear reactors.
From a high of 70,300 active weapons in 1986, as of 2019, there are approximately 3,750 active nuclear warheads and 13,890 total nuclear warheads in the world.[1] Many of the decommissioned weapons were simply stored or partially dismantled, not destroyed.[18]
It is also noteworthy that since the dawn of the Atomic Age, the delivery methods of most states with nuclear weapons have evolved—with some achieving a nuclear triad, while others have consolidated away from land and air deterrents to submarine-based forces
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Five are considered to be nuclear-weapon states (NWS) under the terms of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). In order of acquisition of nuclear weapons, these are the United States, Russia (the successor of the former Soviet Union), the United Kingdom, France, and China.
Three NATO members - the United States, France and the United Kingdom – have nuclear weapons. The strategic forces of the Alliance, particularly those of the United States, are the supreme guarantee of the Alliance's security.
The 2022 Strategic Concept, therefore, emphasizes that “NATO's deterrence and defense posture is based on an appropriate mix of nuclear, conventional, and missile defense capabilities, complemented by space and cyber capabilities. It is defensive, proportionate, and fully in line with our international commitments”
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