The nine countries that have nuclear weapons

Posted on at


The nuclear bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 9th August 1945 during world war two
The nuclear bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 9th August 1945 during world war two Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images

North Korea has claimed to have carried out its first successful hydrogen bomb test, but which other nations have nuclear warheads? Just nine countries around the world have access to nuclear weapons, according to a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

In total, there are believed to be around 16,300 nuclear weapons spread between these nine countries.

The United States, Russia, the UK, France, China, North Korea, India, Pakistan, and Israel all control some nuclear weaponry. Russia and the US share 93 per cent of all nuclear warheads, but they have been asked to reduce the number of weapons they have under the new START treaty (Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms). 

Infographic: The Countries With The Biggest Nuclear Arsenals | Statista
Map provided by www.statista.com

North Korea is alleged to have fewer than ten nuclear warheads, compared to Russia's arsenal of 7500.

nukes-4_fa_rszd.jpg
 

Only five of the countries with nuclear weapons are legal however - China, France, Russia, the UK, and the USA. SIPRA has noted that ‘all five are either deploying new nuclear weapon delivery systems or have announced programs to do so’. 



160