October 16–29, 1962:Ī tense stand-off known as the Cuban Missile Crisis begins when the U.S.
It moves further nuclear tests to the South Pacific, which continue up until 1996. February 13, 1960:įrance explodes its first atomic bomb in the Sahara Desert, with a yield of 60–70 kilotons. The UK conducts its first nuclear test at Montebello Islands off the coast of Western Australia, and later additional tests at Maralinga and Emu Fields in South Australia. It becomes the second country to develop and successfully test a nuclear device. The Soviet Union tests its first nuclear bomb, code-named First Lightning in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. drops two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, decimating the cities and forcing the country’s surrender, ending the Second World War. Here are a few key dates in the timeline of the nuclear arms race from 1945 to 2022: August 6 & 9, 1945: Only 10 countries have since possessed or deployed any nuclear weapons.
hoped to maintain a monopoly on nuclear weapons, but the secret technology and methodology for building the atomic bomb soon spread. Timeline: Key Events in the Nuclear Arms RaceĪt the dawn of the nuclear age, the U.S. and Russia are by far the two countries with the most nuclear warheads in military stockpiles, with each having close to 4,000 in possession. Here’s a look at the nine nations that currently have nuclear warheads in their arsenal: Country Though not immediately successful in stopping nuclear proliferation, it eventually led to countries retiring most of their nuclear arsenals.Īs 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. The signing of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons ( NPT) brought about a rapid disarmament of nuclear warheads. Nuclear Warheads Currently in Possession by Countries
The animated chart above by creator James Eagle shows the military stockpile of nuclear warheads that each country has possessed since 1945. In modern times, nine countries-the U.S., Russia, France, China, the UK, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea-are estimated to possess roughly 12,700 nuclear warheads. Towards the late 1980s, the world reached its peak of stockpiled warheads, numbering over 64,000. Visualizing The Nuclear Warheads of Countries Since 1945ĭespite significant progress in reducing nuclear weapon arsenals since the Cold War, the world’s combined inventory of warheads remains at an uncomfortably high level.
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