World Nuclear Forces table

World Nuclear Forces as of January 2006

This table and an introductory text are available as downloads in RTF and PDF format.

Source: Shannon N. Kile, Vitaly Fedchenko and Hans M. Kristenson, 'Appendix 13A. World Nuclear Forces', SIPRI SIPRI Yearbook 2006 (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2006).

Note: As defined by the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), only states that have manufactured and exploded a nuclear device prior to 1 Jan. 1967 are recognized as nuclear weapon states. By this definition, China, France, Russia, the UK and the USA are the legally recogniized nuclear weapon states. India, Pakistan, and Israel are not parties to the NPT.

a North Korea claimed in 2005 that it had developed nuclear weapons, although there is no public information to verify this claim.

b The total US stockpile, including reserves, contains c. 10 000 warheads. In addition, 5000 plutonium cores (pits) are in storage as a strategic reserve, while another 7000 pits make up most of 34 tons of weapon-grade plutonium declared in excess of military needs.

c The total Russian stockpile contains roughly 16 000 warheads, of which c. 10 100 are in storage and/or awaiting dismantlement.

d Some warheads on British strategic submarines have sub-strategic missions.

e The existence of non-strategic (tactical) nuclear weapons has not been confirmed by official Chinese sources.

f The stockpiles of India, Pakistan and Israel are thought to be only partly deployed

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Any reproduction of text and data is authorized only by permission, SIPRI July 2004.