The 9 countries with nuclear weapons – and the power of their biggest bombs

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

The world’s nuclear-armed states are beefing up their atomic arsenals and walking out of arms control pacts, a think tank has said. A new arms race is emerging after decades of reductions in the stockpiles since the Cold War, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). It comes amid escalating tensions between Israel, one of the world’s nuclear powers, and Iran. Israel said it bombed Iran over the past week to stop it from being able to produce nuclear weapons. Here, The i Paper takes a look at the countries with nuclear weapons and how dangerous they are.

Which countries have nuclear weapons?

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

There are nine nuclear states: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel. SIPRI said global tensions have led to the nine states planning to increase their stockpiles. “The era of reductions in the number of nuclear weapons in the world, which had lasted since the end of the Cold War, is coming to an end,” SIPRI said in its annual inventory of the world’s most dangerous weapons. “Instead, we see a clear trend of growing nuclear arsenals, sharpened nuclear rhetoric and the abandonment of arms control agreements.” Of the total global inventory of an estimated 12,241 warheads in January 2025, about 9,614 were in military stockpiles for potential use. (Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA)

China 'fastest-growing arsenal'

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

Around 2,100 of the deployed warheads were kept in a state of high operational art of ballistic missiles, nearly all belonging to either the US or Russia. Russia and the US, which together possess around 90 per cent of all nuclear weapons, are implementing extensive modernisation programmes that could increase the size of their arsenals in the future. Both had kept the sizes of their respective usable warheads relatively stable in 2024. China has the fastest-growing arsenal. Beijing has added about 100 new warheads per year since 2023. By the turn of the decade, China could potentially have at least as many intercontinental ballistic missiles as either Russia or the US. Russia and the US hold around 5,459 and 5,177 nuclear warheads, respectively, while China has around 600, according to SIPRI estimates. (Photo: Greg Baker/AFP/Getty)

How dangerous is this arms race?

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

Dan Smith, SIPRI director, said: “The signs are that a new arms race is gearing up that carries much more risk and uncertainty than the last one.” SIPRI warned that “revitalised national debates in East Asia, Europe and the Middle East about nuclear status and strategy suggest there is some potential for more states to develop their own nuclear weapons”. Robert Kelly, a professor specialising in nuclear proliferation at South Korea’s Pusan National University, told NBC News that countries like Iran, which was just bombed by Israel, may be increasingly tempted to get nuclear weapons to protect themselves from attacks. He fears that Israel’s attacks on Iran will trigger proliferation both “horizontal” — nuclear states building more weapons — and “vertical” — non-nuclear states trying to get them. The nuclear countries that most concern the UK are Russia and China. (Photo: Contributor/Getty)

China's 'no first use' policy

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

The UK Government described Russia as an “immediate and pressing threat” in the recent Strategic Defence Review, and sees China as “a sophisticated and persistent challenge”. Luke de Pulford of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China said: “Against a background of ever-increasing grey zone activity around Taiwan and escalating aggression in the South and West Pacific and West Philippine Sea, we should all be deeply troubled by China’s expanding nuclear arsenal.” Last month, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth (pictured) warned invasion of Taiwan by China could in fact be imminent. China has a policy of “no first use” of nukes, which means they would only be used for self-defence. But Lukasz Kulesa, director of proliferation and nuclear policy at RUSI, said the increased nuclear arsenal will “create options” for China’s leadership. (Photo: AP/Anupam Nath)

Who has the most nuclear weapons?

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

All of the nuclear states are either deploying or developing new weapon systems or have announced their intention to do so, according to SIPRI. Russia, China, India, Pakistan and North Korea deploy missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons and are believed to be modernising their capabilities. Russia has the highest number of deployed nuclear warheads after the US, at 1,718. This is just shy of the US’s 1,770. Deployed warheads are warheads placed on missiles or located on bases with operational forces. China has 24 deployed warheads, and North Korea has none. Russia has the highest total number of nuclear warheads stockpiled, at 4,309 – including 2,591 in storage. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

Stored warheads would require some preparation, such as the installation of components, transport or loading onto launchers, before they could be used. This compares with the US’s total of 3,700, of which 1,930 are stored. China has 576 in storage, for a total of 600 including those deployed. At the current rate of increase, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035. North Korea has a total of 50 warheads in its military stockpile, all of which are stored. Both Russia and the US also have more than 1,000 warheads that have been retired from the military stockpiles but have yet to be dismantled. (Photo: Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool)

How dangerous are their weapons?

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

Nuclear weapons are typically divided into two categories: strategic weapons — longer-range missiles that can cross oceans and threaten rival superpowers — and tactical weapons, which have a more limited capacity. The American bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima (pictured) and Nagasaki and killed thousands during World War Two had yields of 15 and 21 kilotons. The power of a nuclear weapon is measured by its yield as a TNT equivalent. Even the least-powerful nuclear bomb — with a yield of about 0.3 kilotons — has about the same explosive power as the 2020 Beirut port explosion. Nine countries currently either admit to having nuclear weapons or are believed to possess them. But how dangerous are the nuclear weapons that they possess? (Photo: Getty)

Russia

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

In 2022, Russia said it deploys 1,549 strategic warheads on 540 strategic delivery systems: intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and heavy bombers, according to the Arms Control Association. Russia holds the record for the most powerful nuclear weapon ever exploded. In 1961, it tested a bomb of at least 50 megatons, nicknamed “Tsar Bomba” – or ruler of bombs. The device is Russia’s most powerful nuclear weapon but is not currently part of the country’s active arsenal. (Photo: Getty)

US

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

The most powerful nuclear bomb the US possesses is the B83 nuclear gravity bomb, which has 1.2 megatons, or 1,200 kilotons. This is roughly 80 times that of the bomb that killed more than 70,000 people in Hiroshima in 1945. (Photo: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

UK

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

According to Statista, the United Kingdom has a nuclear warhead stockpile of approximately 225 missiles. Britain uses the Trident nuclear-weapons system as part of its nuclear deterrent. It includes four nuclear-powered Vanguard-class submarines, missiles and warheads. The UK’s most powerful nuclear weapon is the Trident II D5 missile which has a yield of up to 455 kilotons. (Photo: Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street)

China

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

Although China keeps the details of its nuclear arsenal mostly secret including what is the most powerful one they own, the country is known to have intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and bombers. Earlier this month China released details of its DF-5B nuclear missile, a 7,500-mile-range weapon. The weapon is 200 times more powerful than the bombs used at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and is said to deliver a yield of three to four megatons. (Photo:Teh Eng Koon/AFP via Getty)

North Korea

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

North Korea is another nation that has remain tight-lipped about its nuclear weapons. It is estimated to have 50 warheads, as of January 2024, and enough material to created an estimated 70-90 nuclear weapons. In 2017, in what North Korea’s largest nuclear test, it tested what is believed to be a thermonuclear device with a yield of between 100 and 370 kilotons – six times more powerful than the one dropped at Hiroshima. This is believed to be the last time it tested a nuclear weapon. (Photo: STR/KCNA via KNS/AFP via Getty)

France

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

According to the Arms Control Association, France has the world’s fourth largest nuclear arsenal, estimated to include 290 nuclear warheads. France’s most powerful nuclear weapon is the Canopus which is not currently in service. It was detonated on August 24, 1968 in French Polynesia, and had an estimated yield of 2.6 megatons. It is not known what France’s current most powerful nuclear weapon is. (Photo: Javad Parsa/NTB via Reuters)

India

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

India has not revealed details about what nuclear weapons it has in its arsenal. The Centre For Arms Control and Non-proliferation estimates its has approximately 164 nuclear warheads, plus land-based, sea-based and air-launch nuclear capabilities. Among its nuclear weapon is the Agni-IV missile, which can yield between 150-and 250 kilotons. (Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty)

Pakistan

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

Pakistan developed nuclear weapons outside of the NPT and is believed to possess an arsenal of about 170 nuclear warheads, as of 2022, according to the Arms Control Association. The country has not disclosed what its most powerful nuclear weapons but analysts believe the most powerful nuke it has is Shaheen-III, which has a range of up to 40 kilotons. (Photo: Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty)

Israel

Which countries have nuclear weapons?, China 'fastest-growing arsenal', How dangerous is this arms race?, China's 'no first use' policy, Who has the most nuclear weapons?, China could have 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035, How dangerous are their weapons?, North Korea, Pakistan

Israel is estimated to have 90 nuclear warheads, as well as a fissile material stockpiles for about 200 weapons. Israel has never admitted or denied that it possesses any nuclear weapons. It has repeatedly said it will ‘not be the first country to introduce nuclear weapons to the Middle East’. (Photo: Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

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