China
China is estimated to hold 620 nuclear warheads, about 5% of the world total, of which roughly 620 are in its military stockpile and 34 are deployed with operational forces. All figures are open-source estimates as of 2026-01.
Growing faster than any other arsenal, from an estimated 350 warheads in 2023. Historically China kept a small force with warheads stored separately from missiles; that posture appears to be changing. Its expansion is the stated reason the United States wants any successor to New START to be trilateral rather than bilateral.
| Deployed strategic | 34 |
|---|---|
| Deployed non-strategic | none reported |
| Reserve / non-deployed | 586 |
| Military stockpile | 620 |
| Total inventory | 620 incl. retired |
| Share of world total | 5.1% |
| First test | 1964-10-16 |
|---|---|
| NPT status | NPT nuclear-weapon state |
| Publicly declared | Yes |
| Fissile material route | Highly enriched uranium and plutonium |
| Civil programme | Reactors in China |
Nuclear-powered vessels
Naval propulsion is the largest use of highly enriched uranium outside weapons programmes.
| Programme | Type | Fuel enrichment |
|---|---|---|
| Han class (Type 091) | submarine | - |
| Type 093 and 094 (Shang and Jin) | submarine | LEU |
Other armed states
| Country | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| Russia | 5,420 |
| United States | 5,042 |
| France | 370 |
| United Kingdom | 225 |
| India | 190 |
| Pakistan | 170 |
| Israel | 90 |
| North Korea | 60 |
China in context
Its total inventory of 620 warheads is 5.1% of the 12,187 across the 9 states on record, ranking 3rd.
Its military stockpile of 620 is 6.4% of the world's 9,745.
34 of its warheads are listed as deployed (34 strategic), 5.5% of the military stockpile, with 586 in reserve.
Its first nuclear test was in 1964, 62 years ago.
Its NPT status is "NPT nuclear-weapon state", the same as 4 of the other 8 states on record.
| Measure | China | World (all nine states) | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total inventory | 620 | 12,187 | 5.1% of world, 3rd of 9 |
| Military stockpile | 620 | 9,745 | 6.4% of world |
| Deployed warheads | 34 | 4,000 | under 1% of world |
Worked out from the entries on this site only, so a figure compares China with what is recorded here, not with everything that exists. An entry with no value for a measure is left out of that measure's ranking and median.
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