Number of nuclear warheads worldwide as of January 2022 | Statista (2024)

FAQs

How many nukes are there in the world in 2022? ›

Who owns the world's nukes? Despite progress in reducing nuclear weapon arsenals since the Cold War, the world's combined inventory of nuclear warheads remains at a very high level: nine countries possessed roughly 12,700 warheads as of early-2022.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia owns 5,977 nuclear warheads — the highest tally in the world although about 1,500 are retired warheads awaiting dismantlement.

At the beginning of 2022, the US Defense Department maintained an estimated stockpile of approximately 3,708 nuclear warheads for delivery by ballistic missiles and aircraft. Most of the warheads in the stockpile are not deployed but rather stored for potential upload onto missiles and aircraft as necessary.

Nuclear Warheads Currently in Possession by Countries

As of 2022, about 12,700 nuclear warheads are still estimated to be in use, of which more than 9,400 are in military stockpiles for use by missiles, aircraft, ships and submarines.

Nine countries - China, North Korea, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States - possess a total of nearly 13,080 nuclear weapons. Russia and the United States possess roughly 90% of the world's nuclear weapons, with over 5,500 weapons each. Learn more. Was this helpful?

The Tsar Bomba is the single most physically powerful device ever deployed on Earth, the most powerful nuclear bomb tested and the largest man-made explosion in history.

The six most likely target cities in the US are as follows: New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. These countries will stay prepared to combat any type of nuclear attack shortly.

Can Russian missiles reach the US? According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, Russian land-based missiles could reach the U.S. in as little as 30 minutes, with submarine-based missiles striking 10 or 15 minutes after they are launched.

As of 2022, there were estimated to be approximately 4,178 nuclear warheads belonging to three NATO allies, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.

How many nukes does China have 2022? ›

Though 2020 reports had the number at almost 300, there are no official reports saying how many China nukes there are in 2022. Some estimates and rumors put current numbers at anywhere between 350 and 750, however.

In exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons, Ukraine received financial compensation, as well as the security assurances of the Budapest Memorandum.

The U.S. does have an anti-nuclear weapon defense system, called the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), which might be able to knock out an incoming North Korean nuclear missile.

Can the US shoot down ICBMs? Yes, but only for a small attack. The US faces a gradually increasing threat of nuclear missile attacks from unpredictable “rogue” nations like North Korea.

Russia: As per FAS, Russia currently topped the list of countries with the most nuclear weapons. Currently, Russia has 5,977 nukes of which 1,458 are active and 3,039 are inactive but are ready to use.

This Subsequent administrations continued with these plans. As of 2021, American nuclear forces on land consist of 400 Minuteman III ICBMs spread among 450 operational launchers. Those in the seas consist of 14 nuclear-capable Ohio-class Trident submarines, nine in the Pacific and five in the Atlantic.

Canada does not have nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons or relevant delivery systems, and is a member in good standing of all relevant nonproliferation treaties and regimes.

On October 5, 2021, the U.S. State department issued a declassification announcement indicating that the total number of U.S. “active” and “inactive” warheads is 3,750 as of September 2020. The stockpile figures do not include retired warheads and those awaiting dismantlement.

The country with the most advanced military technology is the United States of America (USA). Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom are the other countries with the most advanced military technology in the world.

Would a nuclear war end the world? ›

Many scholars have posited that a global thermonuclear war with Cold War-era stockpiles, or even with the current smaller stockpiles, may lead to human extinction.

With the dismantling of the last B53 bomb in 2011, the B83 became the highest yield nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal. In 2022, Biden administration declared that they plan to retire B83.

As of 2019, there are 15,000 nuclear weapons on planet Earth. It would take just three nuclear warheads to destroy one of the 4,500 cities on Earth, meaning 13,500 bombs in total, which would leave 1,500 left.

In the United States' current nuclear arsenal, the most powerful bomb is the B83, which has a maximum yield of 1.2 megatons, making it 60 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945.

For those who worry that Doomsday is around the corner, South Dakota offers bunkers with room for the whole family, and promises the shelter will withstand a nuclear winter or any other major catastrophe. The nearest town is 30 minutes away and there's no mobile connectivity.

Some estimates name Maine, Oregon, Northern California, and Western Texas as some of the safest locales in the case of nuclear war, due to their lack of large urban centers and nuclear power plants.

A global all-out nuclear war between the United States and Russia with over four thousand 100-kiloton nuclear warheads would lead, at minimum, to 360 million quick deaths. * That's about 30 million people more than the entire US population.

But a hydrogen bomb has the potential to be 1,000 times more powerful than an atomic bomb, according to several nuclear experts. The U.S. witnessed the magnitude of a hydrogen bomb when it tested one within the country in 1954, the New York ​Times​ reported.

Right now the chance of a nuclear war is very low, but even a very low chance of such destruction is much, much too high. Even when we're faced with a tiny risk of a colossal tragedy, there are still things we can do, says Sandberg. “Many people are feeling super depressed right now.

Can the US shoot down a missile from Russia? ›

Instead of a comprehensive layered system, the United States has no boost-phase ballistic missile defense systems and no defense against the advanced ballistic missile threats from China or Russia.

At a distance of 40-45 miles, a person would have at most 3 hours after the fallout began to find shelter. Considerably smaller radiation doses will make people seriously ill. Thus, the survival prospects of persons immediately downwind of the burst point would be slim unless they could be sheltered or evacuated.

Once fired, the missiles and their warheads cannot be called back.

Nine countries possess nuclear weapons: the United States, Russia, France, China, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea. In total, the global nuclear stockpile is close to 13,000 weapons.

This Subsequent administrations continued with these plans. As of 2021, American nuclear forces on land consist of 400 Minuteman III ICBMs spread among 450 operational launchers. Those in the seas consist of 14 nuclear-capable Ohio-class Trident submarines, nine in the Pacific and five in the Atlantic.

As of 2022, there were estimated to be approximately 4,178 nuclear warheads belonging to three NATO allies, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.

By far the largest nuclear electricity producers are the United States with 771,638 GWh of nuclear electricity in 2021, followed by China with 383,205 GWh. As of August 2022, 438 reactors with a net capacity of 393,333 MWe are operational, and 57 reactors with net capacity of 58,858 MWe are under construction.

Can Russian missiles reach the US? According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, Russian land-based missiles could reach the U.S. in as little as 30 minutes, with submarine-based missiles striking 10 or 15 minutes after they are launched.

The Ground-based Midcourse (GMD) is the only system that is currently in operation to defend the continental United States, and it has 44 interceptors based in Alaska and California.

Nuclear weapons are a core component of NATO's overall capabilities for deterrence and defence, alongside conventional and missile defence forces. NATO is committed to arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, but as long as nuclear weapons exist, it will remain a nuclear alliance.

Does Germany have nukes? ›

Although Germany has the technical capability to produce weapons of mass destruction (WMD), since World War II it has generally refrained from producing those weapons. However, Germany participates in the NATO nuclear weapons sharing arrangements and trains for delivering United States nuclear weapons.

Nuclear weapons in Italy

Italy is one of five members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to host US nuclear weapons on its territory as part of a nuclear-sharing agreement. The Italian air force is assigned approximately 40 B61 nuclear bombs, which are deployed at Aviano Air Base and Ghedi Air Base.

A full-scale nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia would see global food systems obliterated and over 5 billion people die of hunger.

Life will survive after a nuclear war, even though humans may not. A "nuclear winter" would see temperatures plummet, causing massive food shortages for humans and animals. Radiation would wipe out all but the hardiest of species.

A global all-out nuclear war between the United States and Russia with over four thousand 100-kiloton nuclear warheads would lead, at minimum, to 360 million quick deaths. * That's about 30 million people more than the entire US population.