Historical nuclear weapons stockpiles and nuclear tests by country
This article shows various estimates of the
Nuclear weapons stockpiles
Country | 1945 | 1950 | 1955 | 1960 | 1965 | 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 1995 | 2000 | 2005 | 2014 | 2020 | Projections[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 2 | 299 | 2,422 | 18,638 | 31,149 | 26,008 | 27,519 | 23,368 | 21,392 | 10,904 | 10,577 | 8,360 | 7,700 | 7,260 | 5,800[3] | 5,244 (in 2023)[4] |
Russia
|
0 | 5 | 200 | 1,605 | 6,129 | 11,643 | 19,055 | 30,062 | 39,197 | 37,000 | 27,000 | 21,500 | 17,000 | 7,500 | 6,375[3] | 5,899 (in 2023)[5] |
China
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 75 | 180 | 205 | 243 | 232 | 234 | 232 | 235 | 260 | 400[6] | 1,500 (for 2035)[7] |
France
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 36 | 188 | 250 | 360 | 505 | 500 | 470 | 350 | 300 | 290[3] | |
United Kingdom | 0 | 0 | 14 | 42 | 436 | 394 | 492 | 492 | 422 | 422 | 422 | 281 | 281 | 225 | 225[3] | 260 (up to 2030)[8] |
India
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0[9] | 1[9] | 3[9] | 7[9] | 14[9] | 28[9] | 44 | 90-110 | 150[3] | 250-270 (for 2025)[10] |
Pakistan
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0[9] | 4[9] | 13[9] | 28[9] | 38 | 100-120 | 160[3] | 150-200 (for 2021)[11] |
Israel
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 20 | 31 | 42 | 53 | 63 | 72 | 80 | 80 | 80-90[3] | 65-85 (for 2020)[10] |
North Korea
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0[9] | 0[12]-1[9] | 0[12]-2[9] | 0[12]-2[9] | 8[9] | 6-8 | 30-40[3] | |
South Africa
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0[9] | 3[9] | 6[9] | 0[9] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0[10] |
Kazakhstan | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,410 (1991)[13] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ukraine
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2,321 (1991)[14] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Belarus | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | At least 81 (1991)[15] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Lithuania | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20-60 (1991)[16] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Worldwide total | 2 | 304 | 2,636 | 20,285 | 37,741 | 38,164 | 47,454 | 54,409 | 61,662 | ~51,864 | 38,823 - 38,825 | 30,971 - 30,973 | 25,736 | 15,811 - 15,853 | 13,400 |
The United States nuclear stockpile increased rapidly from 1945, peaked in 1966, and declined after that.[1] By 2012, the United States had several times fewer nuclear weapons than it had in 1966.[19]
The Soviet Union developed its first nuclear weapon in 1949 and increased its nuclear stockpile rapidly until it peaked in 1986 under
The United States and Russian nuclear weapons stockpiles are projected to continue decreasing over the next decade.[20]
The United Kingdom became a nuclear power in 1952, and its nuclear arsenal peaked at just under 500 nuclear weapons in 1981. France became a nuclear power in 1960, and French nuclear stockpiles peaked at just over 500 nuclear weapons in 1992.[1] China developed its first nuclear weapon in 1964; its nuclear stockpile increased until the early 1980s, when it stabilized at between 200 and 260.[1] India became a nuclear power in 1974, while Pakistan developed its first nuclear weapon in the 1980s.[1][21] India and Pakistan currently have around one hundred nuclear weapons each.[19] Pakistan's nuclear stockpile has increased rapidly, and it is speculated that Pakistan might have more nuclear weapons than the United Kingdom within a decade.[22]
South Africa successfully built six nuclear weapons in the 1980s, but dismantled all of them in the early 1990s, shortly before the fall of the apartheid system.[23] So far it is the only nuclear-capable country to give up nuclear weapons, although several members of the Soviet Union did so during the collapse of the Soviet regime.
North Korea joined the nuclear club in 2006 or before.
Nuclear weapon tests
Country | 1945–49 | 1950–54 | 1955–59 | 1960–64 | 1965–69 | 1970–74 | 1975–79 | 1980–84 | 1985–89 | 1990–94 | 1995–99 | 2000–04 | 2005–09 | 2010–14 | 2015–17 | Cumulative total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 8 | 43 | 145 | 198 | 230 | 136 | 96 | 84 | 71 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,032 |
Russia
|
1 | 17 | 65 | 147 | 85 | 101 | 126 | 116 | 56 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 715 |
United Kingdom | 0 | 3 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 |
France
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 19 | 32 | 37 | 51 | 41 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 210 |
China
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 |
Israel
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
India
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
South Africa
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pakistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
North Korea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
All countries | 9 | 63 | 228 | 362 | 344 | 277 | 273 | 265 | 174 | 43 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2,065 |
From the first nuclear test in 1945, worldwide nuclear testing increased rapidly until the 1970s, when it peaked.
References
- ^ S2CID 210541752. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
- ^ "11. World nuclear forces — www.sipri.org". Sipri.org. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Nuclear weapon modernization continues but the outlook for arms control is bleak: New SIPRI Yearbook out now | SIPRI". www.sipri.org. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- ^ Borger, Julian, (2022). "US will soon need to deter two major nuclear powers for first time, White House says," The Guardian, October 12.
- ^ Borger, Julian, (2022). "US will soon need to deter two major nuclear powers for first time, White House says," The Guardian, October 12.
- ^ "China to increase nuclear warheads to 1,500, Pentagon warns". AP NEWS. 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ "China to increase nuclear warheads to 1,500, Pentagon warns". AP NEWS. 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ Hammond, Philip (December 12, 2012). "Working towards nuclear disarmament". The U.K. Government. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Johnston, Wm. Robert (August 23, 2008). "Nuclear Stockpiles: South Africa, India, Pakistan, and North Korea, warheads and megatonnage, various estimates". Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ PMID 31616796.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - S2CID 145543385.
- ^ a b c Gordon, Michael (March 9, 2002), "U.S. Nuclear Plan Sees New Weapons and New Targets", The New York Times, retrieved February 8, 2013
- ^ "Kazakhstan - Countries". NTI. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ "Ukraine - Countries". NTI. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ "Nuclear Disarmament Belarus". NTI. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ "Nuclear weapons in Lithuania" (PDF). NTI. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Multimegaton Weapons". www.johnstonsarchive.net. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ "Hans M. Kristensen 2012, "Estimated US-Russian Nuclear Warhead Inventories 1977-2018."". Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ a b c "6. World nuclear forces — www.sipri.org". Sipri.org. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
- ^ Kristensen, Hans (December 2012). "Trimming Nuclear Excess" (PDF). Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ Kerr, Paul; Mary Beth Nikitin (June 26, 2012). "Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
- ^ "Mitt Romney says Pakistan is on a path to overtake the U.K. in nuclear weapons". PolitiFact.com. Tampa Bay Times. October 22, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-11-15. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
- ^ "South Africa". Nuclear Threat Initiative. November 2011. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Fedchenko, Vitaly (December 2009). "NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR TEST EXPLOSION, 2009". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
- ^ Chance, David (2012-10-24). "Nuclear test protects country from 'hostile' US, North Korea says - World News". Worldnews.nbcnews.com. Retrieved 2013-06-03.