France
NPT nuclear-weapon state civil nuclear programme
Estimated total
370
warheads · 2026-01
France is estimated to hold 370 nuclear warheads, about 3% of the world total, of which roughly 290 are in its military stockpile and 280 are deployed with operational forces. All figures are open-source estimates as of 2026-01.
An almost entirely submarine and air-launched force. France dismantled its land-based missiles in the 1990s and closed its military fissile material production facilities, declaring the closure publicly, one of very few states to have done so.
Estimated inventory · 2026-01
| Deployed strategic | 280 |
|---|---|
| Deployed non-strategic | none reported |
| Reserve / non-deployed | 10 |
| Military stockpile | 290 |
| Total inventory | 370 incl. retired |
| Share of world total | 3.0% |
Programme
| First test | 1960-02-13 |
|---|---|
| NPT status | NPT nuclear-weapon state |
| Publicly declared | Yes |
| Fissile material route | Highly enriched uranium and plutonium |
| Civil programme | Reactors in France |
Nuclear-powered vessels
Naval propulsion is the largest use of highly enriched uranium outside weapons programmes.
| Programme | Type | Fuel enrichment |
|---|---|---|
| Charles de Gaulle | carrier | LEU |
| Le Triomphant class | submarine | LEU |
| Suffren class (Barracuda) | submarine | LEU |
Other armed states
| Country | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| Russia | 5,420 |
| United States | 5,042 |
| China | 620 |
| United Kingdom | 225 |
| India | 190 |
| Pakistan | 170 |
| Israel | 90 |
| North Korea | 60 |
Sources
- Federation of American Scientists, Status of World Nuclear Forces · retrieved 2026-09-07
- SIPRI Yearbook 2026, chapter 8: World nuclear forces
How these sources are used, including the corrections applied on top of them and what is deliberately left blank · download the underlying data