Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Which countries have nuclear weapons?

There are an estimated 20,000 warheads in the world's combined stockpile of nuclear weapons.
Of these, almost 5,000 are considered operational and about 2,000 belonging to the US and Russia are believed to be ready for use at short notice.
Nuclear weapons map
Although the exact number of nuclear weapons in each country's possession is top secret, the Federation of American Scientists has made best estimates about the size and composition of national nuclear weapon stockpiles based on publicly available information.

Countries and their nuclear weapons

CountryOperational and strategic weapons*Total arsenal**
SOURCE: FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS, AS OF 6 MARCH 2012
Russia
2,430
10,000
US
1,950
8,500
France
290
300
China
0
240
UK
160
225
Israel
0
80
Pakistan
0
90-110
India
0
80-100
North Korea
0
Fewer than 10
*Strategic weapons are designed to target cities, missile locations and military headquarters as part of a strategic plan
**Total arsenal inventory includes non-strategic and non-deployed weapons as well as stockpiles

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