Politics

There are about 14,500 nuclear weapons in the world. Here are the countries that have them

Key Points
  • There are about 14,500 nuclear weapons in the world.
  • Nine nations are members of the world's nuke club.
  • The U.S. and Russia own the majority of the world's nuclear weapons.
A military aide carries the so-called "nuclear football," which contains launch codes for the U.S. nuclear arsenal and which travels with the sitting U.S. president, to depart with U.S. President Donald Trump for travel to Utah from the White House in Washington, U.S. December 4, 2017.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

The world's nuclear club is an exclusive group – and it has become even more dangerous with the relatively recent and unwelcome addition of North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un.

The United States wants the rogue regime to give up its nuclear-weapons ambitions, and President Donald Trump aims to achieve that goal, possibly through direct diplomacy. The White House said Friday that Trump still intends to meet Kim by the end of May, following his on-the-spot acceptance of an invitation to talk.

North Korea is 'never' going to give up nuclear weapons
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North Korea is 'never' going to give up nuclear weapons

It might be too big a demand, however. North Korea is the only country to test nuclear weapons this century, and Kim has emphasized that nuclear weapons are a fundamental part of his regime's national security. And so the potential summit puts into motion the most significant development in years of intermittent negotiations about North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

North Korea is one of nine nations to have stockpiled nuclear weapons – about 14,500 total worldwide, a figure that has declined since the Cold War.

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

This picture taken on May 14, 2017 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (3rd R) inspecting a ballistic rocket at an undisclosed location.
STR | AFP | Getty Images
  • Total nuclear weapons: ~10 to 20
  • Total nuclear tests: ~6
  • First tested: October 2006
  • Most recent test: September 2017

Israel

In this handout image supplied by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets troops as he visits the border fence near Egypt.
GPO | Getty Images
  • Total nuclear weapons: ~80
  • Total nuclear tests: 0
  • First tested: No confirmed tests
  • Most recent test: No confirmed tests

India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets, National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers and Tableaux artists at Teen Murti House, on January 27, 2018 in New Delhi, India.
Getty Images
  • Total nuclear weapons: ~120 to 130
  • Total nuclear tests: ~3
  • First tested: May 1974
  • Most recent test: May 1998

Pakistan

Pakistani armed forces march during the Pakistan Day parade in Islamabad.
Getty Images
  • Total nuclear weapons: ~130 to 140
  • Total nuclear tests: ~2
  • First tested: May 1998
  • Most recent test: May 1998

United Kingdom

Prime Minister Theresa May meets British troops training Iraqi security forces at Camp Taji near Baghdad, Iraq, during her visit to the Middle East.
Getty Images
  • 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

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) speaks with soldiers as he attends a military exercise at the military camp of Suippes, near Reims on March 1, 2018.
Yoan Valaty | AFP | Getty Images
  • Total nuclear weapons: ~300
  • Total nuclear tests: ~210
  • First tested: February 1960
  • Most recent test: January 1996

United States

President Donald J. Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives January 30, 2018 in Washington, DC.
Getty Images
  • 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

WATCH: Pentagon urges calm after Putin unveils latest nuclear weapons

Pentagon urges calm after Putin unveils latest nuclear weapons
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Pentagon urges calm after Putin unveils latest nuclear weapons