India
India is estimated to hold 190 nuclear warheads, about 2% of the world total, of which roughly 190 are in its military stockpile. All figures are open-source estimates as of 2026-01.
India's 1974 test, described at the time as a "peaceful nuclear explosion", used plutonium from a research reactor supplied by Canada under peaceful-use conditions. The international response created the Nuclear Suppliers Group and cut India off from nuclear trade for three decades, which is why India built an entirely domestic fuel chain around heavy water reactors that need no enrichment.
| Deployed strategic | none deployed |
|---|---|
| Deployed non-strategic | none reported |
| Reserve / non-deployed | 178 |
| Military stockpile | 190 |
| Total inventory | 190 incl. retired |
| Share of world total | 1.6% |
| First test | 1974-05-18 |
|---|---|
| NPT status | never joined NPT |
| Publicly declared | Yes |
| Fissile material route | Primarily plutonium |
| Civil programme | Reactors in India |
Nuclear-powered vessels
Naval propulsion is the largest use of highly enriched uranium outside weapons programmes.
| Programme | Type | Fuel enrichment |
|---|---|---|
| Arihant class | submarine | HEU |
Other armed states
| Country | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| Russia | 5,420 |
| United States | 5,042 |
| China | 620 |
| France | 370 |
| United Kingdom | 225 |
| Pakistan | 170 |
| Israel | 90 |
| North Korea | 60 |
India in context
Its total inventory of 190 warheads is 1.6% of the 12,187 across the 9 states on record, ranking 6th.
Its military stockpile of 190 is 1.9% of the world's 9,745.
The estimate lists no deployed warheads for India; 178 warheads are shown as reserve.
Its first nuclear test was in 1974, 52 years ago.
Its NPT status is "never joined NPT", the same as 2 of the other 8 states on record.
| Measure | India | World (all nine states) | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total inventory | 190 | 12,187 | 1.6% of world, 6th of 9 |
| Military stockpile | 190 | 9,745 | 1.9% of world |
Worked out from the entries on this site only, so a figure compares India 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