Politics

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

Key Points
  • There are nine nations that possess the world's 14,500 nuclear weapons.
  • Russia and the United States account for approximately 13,350 of them.
  • It is unclear whether Trump discussed a new nuclear weapons agreement with Putin since the current one is slated to expire in 2021.
Who owns the world's nuclear weapons?
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Who owns the world's nuclear weapons?

It has been a little over a week since the two leaders of the world's nuclear club met behind closed doors in the Finnish capital of Helsinki.

Both U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who own the lion's share of the world's nukes, said ahead of their first formal discussion that they would address the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

"If we can do something to substantially reduce them, I mean, ideally get rid of them, maybe that's a dream, but certainly it's a subject that I'll be bringing up with him," Trump said before the meeting. "The proliferation is a tremendous, I mean, to me, it's the biggest problem in the world, nuclear weapons, biggest problem in the world."

Similarly, the Russian leader said the two countries had a "responsibility for maintaining international security," citing their respective nuclear weapons arsenals.

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

"It is crucial that we fine-tune the stability and global security and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction," Putin said during a joint news conference with Trump.

However, it is unclear what Trump and Putin discussed in regard to their nuclear weapons stockpiles. One option Trump may have presented to the Russian leader is a new nuclear weapons agreement. The New START treaty, which is the current nuke agreement, is slated to expire in 2021.

Meanwhile, there are about 14,500 nuclear weapons in the world and nine nations that possess them, according to a recent analysis. Russia and the United States account for approximately 13,350 of them.

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 guides a target-striking contest of the special operation forces of the Korean People's Army to occupy islands in Pyongyang on Aug. 25, 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

  • Total nuclear weapons: ~6,800
  • Total nuclear tests: ~ 715
  • First tested: August 1949
  • Most recent test: October 1990

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