Russia
NPT nuclear-weapon state civil nuclear programme
Estimated total
5,420
warheads · 2026-01
Russia is estimated to hold 5,420 nuclear warheads, about 44% of the world total, of which roughly 4,400 are in its military stockpile and 1,796 are deployed with operational forces. All figures are open-source estimates as of 2026-01.
The largest inventory in the world. The gap between the military stockpile (4,400) and the total inventory (5,420) is roughly a thousand retired warheads awaiting dismantlement, a distinction that matters, because headline "total" figures often mix the two.
Estimated inventory · 2026-01
| Deployed strategic | 1,796 |
|---|---|
| Deployed non-strategic | none reported |
| Reserve / non-deployed | 2,604 |
| Military stockpile | 4,400 |
| Total inventory | 5,420 incl. retired |
| Share of world total | 44.5% |
Programme
| First test | 1949-08-29 |
|---|---|
| NPT status | NPT nuclear-weapon state |
| Publicly declared | Yes |
| Fissile material route | Highly enriched uranium and plutonium |
| Civil programme | Reactors in Russia |
Nuclear-powered vessels
Naval propulsion is the largest use of highly enriched uranium outside weapons programmes.
| Programme | Type | Fuel enrichment |
|---|---|---|
| Akula class | submarine | - |
| Borei class | submarine | HALEU |
| Kirov class | cruiser | - |
| NS Sevmorput | cargo | - |
| Oscar II class | submarine | - |
| Project 10510 Lider | icebreaker | - |
| Project 22220 (LK-60) | icebreaker | HALEU |
| Taymyr class | icebreaker | HALEU |
| Yasen class | submarine | HALEU |
Other armed states
| Country | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| United States | 5,042 |
| China | 620 |
| France | 370 |
| 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