The World's Nuclear Arsenals, Ranked (2026)
Nine countries are estimated to hold roughly 12,187 nuclear warheads, and Russia and the United States account for about 86% of them. FAS says military stockpiles are growing again even as retired warheads continue to be dismantled.
Quick Answer
Russia has the world's largest nuclear arsenal with an estimated 5,420 warheads, ahead of the United States at 5,042. Together they hold about 86% of the world's roughly 12,187 warheads. China is a distant third at 620, and the remaining six states — France, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea — hold 1,105 combined.
This ranking uses the Federation of American Scientists' Status of World Nuclear Forces 2026, one of the most widely cited public estimates of global nuclear arsenals. Countries are ranked by total inventory: every warhead a country possesses, including retired but still intact weapons awaiting dismantlement. That is a bigger number than the military stockpile (warheads earmarked for use, about 9,745 worldwide) and much bigger than the number of deployed strategic warheads (about 3,912 on long-range missiles and at heavy bomber bases). The exact size of each arsenal is a closely held national secret, so every figure here is an estimate, and the uncertainty is large for the most secretive states. FAS counts warheads at bomber bases as deployed even when they are not loaded on aircraft, and it lists about 100 deployed nonstrategic (shorter-range) warheads separately, all of them American.
Estimates, not exact counts
No nuclear-armed state publishes a complete, audited count of its arsenal. The United States has declassified its stockpile size in some years but not others, the United Kingdom stopped disclosing figures for its operational stockpile in 2021, and France said in early 2026 that it would no longer disclose figures for its arsenal. The figures below are the Federation of American Scientists' best estimates from public information, historical records and analysis, and they come with significant uncertainty, especially for Israel, Pakistan, India and North Korea.
Estimated total nuclear warhead inventory, beginning of 2026
Source: Federation of American Scientists, Status of World Nuclear Forces 2026Tap any country to jump to its full breakdown below.
Ranked #9 to #1
North Korea
Deployed: ~0 · stockpile: ~60- Estimated warheads (total inventory):
- 60
- Category:
- Asia
North Korea has an estimated 60 assembled nuclear warheads, the smallest arsenal of the nine nuclear-armed states, and none are thought to be deployed on launchers.
FAS says North Korea might have produced enough fissile material for at least 90 warheads, but estimates its assembled arsenal at about 60. Fissile material and finished weapons are not the same thing.
Source: FAS, Status of World Nuclear Forces 2026
Israel
Deployed: ~0 · stockpile: ~90- Estimated warheads (total inventory):
- 90
- Category:
- Middle East
Israel is estimated to hold about 90 nuclear warheads, all kept in central storage rather than deployed. It has never officially confirmed that it possesses nuclear weapons.
FAS says Israel has produced enough plutonium for 100 to 200 warheads, but estimates its stockpile at about 90.
Source: FAS, Status of World Nuclear Forces 2026
Pakistan
Deployed: ~0 · stockpile: 170- Estimated warheads (total inventory):
- 170
- Category:
- Asia
Pakistan has an estimated 170 nuclear warheads, none of them deployed on launchers, according to FAS. Pakistan does not publish figures, so the estimate carries high uncertainty.
Pakistan trails India by about 20 warheads, and FAS lists both countries among those increasing their stockpiles.
Source: FAS, Status of World Nuclear Forces 2026
India
Deployed: ~0 · stockpile: 190- Estimated warheads (total inventory):
- 190
- Category:
- Asia
India has an estimated 190 nuclear warheads, putting it ahead of Pakistan. FAS lists no Indian warheads as deployed in its main table, although it notes that a small number might occasionally be carried on a submarine on deterrent patrol.
FAS lists India among the countries increasing their stockpiles, along with China, North Korea, Pakistan and the United Kingdom, and possibly Russia.
Source: FAS, Status of World Nuclear Forces 2026
United Kingdom
Deployed: ~120 · stockpile: 225- Estimated warheads (total inventory):
- 225
- Category:
- Europe
The United Kingdom has an estimated 225 nuclear warheads, about 120 of them deployed. In 2021 it said it would no longer publish figures for its operational stockpile.
In 2021 the UK raised its stockpile ceiling to “no more than 260 warheads,” and FAS lists it among the countries increasing their stockpiles.
Source: FAS, Status of World Nuclear Forces 2026
France
Deployed: ~280 · stockpile: 290- Estimated warheads (total inventory):
- 370
- Category:
- Europe
France has an estimated 370 warheads in total inventory, with about 290 in its military stockpile. Roughly 80 retired warheads are still awaiting dismantlement.
France announced in early 2026 that it will no longer disclose figures for its nuclear arsenal, as it had in the past.
Source: FAS, Status of World Nuclear Forces 2026
China
Deployed: ~34 · stockpile: 620- Estimated warheads (total inventory):
- 620
- Category:
- Asia
China has an estimated 620 nuclear warheads, a distant third behind the US and Russia but growing fast. Only a small number are thought to be deployed; the vast majority sit in central storage.
In 2022, the US Department of Defense projected that China will have about 1,000 operational warheads by 2030. FAS says the claim depends on uncertain factors, including how many missile silos are built and future fissile material production. Even 1,000 would be less than a fifth of Russia's current inventory.
Source: FAS, Status of World Nuclear Forces 2026
United States
Deployed: ~1,670 strategic + ~100 nonstrategic · stockpile: ~3,700- Estimated warheads (total inventory):
- 5,042
- Category:
- North America
The United States has an estimated 5,042 warheads in total inventory, about 378 fewer than Russia. FAS says the US is still reducing its military stockpile of about 3,700 slowly.
FAS estimates that some 100 to 120 US B61 nuclear bombs are deployed at bases in five or six European countries.
Source: FAS, Status of World Nuclear Forces 2026
Russia
Deployed: ~1,796 strategic · stockpile: 4,400- Estimated warheads (total inventory):
- 5,420
- Category:
- Europe
Russia has the world's largest total nuclear inventory, estimated at 5,420 warheads. FAS estimates that 1,796 of them are deployed strategic warheads, compared with 1,670 for the United States. The total also includes about 2,604 warheads in reserve and roughly 1,020 retired warheads awaiting dismantlement.
The other seven nuclear-armed states combined hold 1,725 warheads — fewer than the 1,796 Russia already has deployed.
Source: FAS, Status of World Nuclear Forces 2026
What the numbers tell us
Russia and the United States hold about 10,462 of the world's roughly 12,187 warheads — about 86% of the total, and 83% of the ~9,745 in military stockpiles. About 3,912 warheads are deployed strategic warheads, and about 2,100 are on high alert. The global inventory has fallen about 83% from its 1986 peak of about 70,300, but FAS says the number of warheads in military stockpiles is increasing once again.
- Data period:
- Beginning of 2026; FAS Status of World Nuclear Forces 2026
- Last updated:
- October 18, 2026
- Sources:
- Federation of American Scientists (Hans M. Kristensen, Matt Korda, Eliana Johns, Mackenzie Knight-Boyle), Status of World Nuclear Forces 2026; with contributions to the SIPRI Yearbook 2026
- Source links:
States are ranked by estimated total nuclear warhead inventory as of the beginning of 2026, as published by the Federation of American Scientists. Total inventory counts every warhead in a country's possession, including retired but still intact warheads awaiting dismantlement. That is larger than the military stockpile (warheads earmarked for military use, about 9,745 worldwide) and larger still than deployed strategic warheads (about 3,912 on long-range missiles and at heavy bomber bases, plus about 100 deployed nonstrategic warheads). Every figure is an estimate: the exact size of each arsenal is a closely held national secret, and uncertainty is significant for the most opaque states. FAS gives a global total of about 12,187 in its table and introduction; another section of the same page gives about 12,321, and we use the table figure. Shares and comparisons are our own calculations from the FAS table. Only nine countries are known to possess nuclear weapons, so this ranking covers all of them rather than a top 10.
Figures marked as estimates are based on publicly available information and may vary from other published sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Russia, with an estimated 5,420 warheads in total inventory as of the beginning of 2026, according to the Federation of American Scientists. The United States is second at 5,042. Together they hold about 86% of the world's nuclear weapons.