Since the first atomic bomb was developed in 1945, only a small number of countries have acquired nuclear weapons.
Concerns about the spread of these weapons led to the signing of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968, which aimed to prevent further proliferation. At the time, only a few states had nuclear capabilities.
However, since then, the number has grown to nine, with North Korea being the only country to withdraw from the NPT and subsequently develop nuclear weapons.
Combined, the United States and Russia possess roughly 87 per cent of the world’s total nuclear inventory and about 83 per cent of the warheads stockpiled for military use. Of the estimated 12,241 nuclear warheads worldwide, around 9,614 are part of active military stockpiles, ready for deployment via missiles, aircraft, ships, or submarines.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), these are the nine nuclear-armed states and their estimated warhead counts:
Russia – 5,459 nuclear weapons
United States – 5,177 nuclear weapons
China – 600 nuclear weapons
France – 290 nuclear weapons
United Kingdom – 225 nuclear weapons
India – 180 nuclear weapons
Pakistan – 170 nuclear weapons
Israel – 90 nuclear weapons
North Korea – 50 nuclear weapons
VANGUARD.
