Currently, nine countries claim to have nuclear weapons or they are believed to have them. This number has remained stable for years (seeing the figures of 2018 in the Gallery below).
The first to possess them were the five original states of nuclear weapons: the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. The five are signatories of the Nuclear Non -Proliferation Treaty (TNP), which compromises countries that do not have nuclear weapons not to build or obtain them, and those who do have them to “establish negotiations in good faith” in order to achieve nuclear disarmament.
India and Pakistan increase their nuclear arsenal
India and Pakistan, rivals who have not signed the TNP, have increased their nuclear arsenals over the years.
India was the first to do a nuclear test in 1974, followed by another in 1998. Pakistan performed his own nuclear tests just a few weeks later.
Israel, who has not signed the TNP, has never recognized having nuclear weapons, but it is widely believed that yes.
North Korea adhered to the TNP in 1985, but announced his withdrawal from the treaty in 2003, claiming what he called US aggression. Since 2006, he has performed a series of nuclear tests.
Iran and its nuclear enigma
Iran has insisted for a long time that its nuclear program has exclusively peaceful purposes, and US intelligence agencies have determined that Tehran does not actively seek atomic bomb. However, in recent years it has been enriching Uranium until reaching 60% purity, about 90%, a level suitable for nuclear weapons.
In an annual evaluation published in June 2025, the International Institute for Peace Research of Stockholm (SIPRI) estimated that the nine countries had the following reserves of military nuclear eyelets in January of that same year:
- Russia: 4 thousand 309 (8,500 estimated in 2018)
- United States: 3,700 (7,700) were estimated in 2018)
- China: 600 (increase from 250 estimated in 2018)
- France: 290
- United Kingdom: 225 (from 215 in estimation of 2018)
- India: 180 (estimated increase of 70 in seven years)
- Pakistan: 170 (30 more than the 2018 estimate)
- Israel: 90
- North Korea: 50 (60 estimated seven years ago)
Meanwhile, the EFE agency presents the following data in an infographic: