Which countries have nuclear weapons, and how many?

As conflicts break out across the world, the threat of nuclear war is never far from many people’s minds.

One of the first questions we need to answer to better understand the risks of nuclear weapons is: which countries have them, and in what quantity? The chart shows estimates of national stockpiles in 2025.

The exact number of warheads is secret, so these are some of the best estimates based on publicly available information, historical records, and occasional leaks.

Nine countries are thought to have nuclear weapons today, but over 80% of warheads are held by just two: Russia and the United States.

While the number of countries that possess nuclear weapons has never been higher, the total number of warheads and tests being carried out is lower than they were a few decades ago.

Read our colleague Max Roser’s article on why nuclear war is a key concern of our generation →

Where this page came from

This page was imported from Our World in Data. “Which countries have nuclear weapons, and how many?” by Hannah Ritchie, Bastian Herre, Pablo Rosado, published by Our World in Data under CC BY 4.0. Changed here: set as a page, its interactive charts shown as pictures. Data from third parties keeps its own licence.

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