Defense

America and Russia, the world's two biggest nuclear powers, are threatening to make more weapons. Here's how many nukes each nation has

Key Points
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin said he will develop ground-launched nuclear missiles if the U.S. withdraws from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
  • Nine nations make up the world's nuke club, with approximately 14,500 nuclear weapons.
  • The U.S. and Russia own the majority of the world's nuclear weapons.
A deactivated Titan II nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, is seen in a silo at the Titan Missile Museum in Green Valley, Arizona, May 12, 2015.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images

The two leaders of the world's nuclear club are threatening to withdraw from an arms control agreement, a move that will allow each country to bolster its arsenal with more nukes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he will develop ground-launched nuclear missiles if the U.S. withdraws from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces, or INF, treaty.

The pact, signed by the U.S. and Soviet Union in 1987, prohibits the development of midrange nuclear-tipped missiles. The agreement forced each country to dismantle more than 2,500 missiles with ranges of 310 to 3,420 miles. The arms ban kept nuclear-tipped cruise missiles off the European continent for three decades.

Of the 14,500 nuclear weapons on the planet, Russia and the United States own the lion's share, with a combined total of approximately 13,350 nukes. The remaining 1,150 weapons are held by seven countries.

North Korea, the latest unwelcome addition to the world's nuke club, remains the only country to test nuclear weapons in this century.

While the exact number of nukes in each country's arsenal is closely guarded, below is a breakdown of how many weapons exist, according to estimates from the Arms Control Association and Federation of American Scientists.

North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 (Mars-12) in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 15, 2017.
KCNA | Reuters
  • Total nuclear weapons: ~10 to 20
  • Total nuclear tests: ~6
  • First tested: October 2006
  • Most recent test: September 2017

Israel

  • Total nuclear weapons: ~80
  • Total nuclear tests: 0
  • First tested: No confirmed tests
  • Most recent test: No confirmed tests

India

  • Total nuclear weapons: ~120 to 130
  • Total nuclear tests: ~3
  • First tested: May 1974
  • Most recent test: May 1998

Pakistan

  • Total nuclear weapons: ~130 to 140
  • Total nuclear tests: ~2
  • First tested: May 1998
  • Most recent test: May 1998

United Kingdom

  • Total nuclear weapons: ~215
  • Total nuclear tests: ~45
  • First tested: October 1952
  • Most recent test: November 1991

China

Chinese President Xi Jinping
Getty Images
  • Total nuclear weapons: ~270
  • Total nuclear tests: ~45
  • First tested: October 1964
  • Most recent test: July 1996

France

  • Total nuclear weapons: ~300
  • Total nuclear tests: ~210
  • First tested: February 1960
  • Most recent test: January 1996

United States

  • Total nuclear weapons: ~ 6,550
  • Total nuclear tests: ~ 1,030
  • First tested: July 1945
  • Most recent test: September 1992

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov at the Naval Base of Black Sea Fleet on Sept. 23, 2014, in Novorossiysk, Russia.
Sasha Mordovets | Getty Images News | Getty Images
  • Total nuclear weapons: ~6,800
  • Total nuclear tests: ~ 715
  • First tested: August 1949
  • Most recent test: October 1990