North Korea
North Korea is estimated to hold 60 nuclear warheads, about 0% of the world total, of which roughly 60 are in its military stockpile. All figures are open-source estimates as of 2026-01.
The only state to have joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty and then withdrawn, in 2003, and the only one to have tested nuclear weapons this century. Its plutonium came from a small gas-graphite reactor at Yongbyon based on a declassified British design; it later added uranium enrichment.
| Deployed strategic | none deployed |
|---|---|
| Deployed non-strategic | none reported |
| Reserve / non-deployed | 60 |
| Military stockpile | 60 |
| Total inventory | 60 incl. retired |
| Share of world total | 0.5% |
| First test | 2006-10-09 |
|---|---|
| NPT status | withdrew from NPT |
| Publicly declared | Yes |
| Fissile material route | Highly enriched uranium and plutonium |
| Civil programme | Reactors in North Korea |
Other armed states
| Country | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| Russia | 5,420 |
| United States | 5,042 |
| China | 620 |
| France | 370 |
| United Kingdom | 225 |
| India | 190 |
| Pakistan | 170 |
| Israel | 90 |
North Korea in context
Its total inventory of 60 warheads is under 1% of the 12,187 across the 9 states on record, ranking 9th.
Its military stockpile of 60 is under 1% of the world's 9,745.
The estimate lists no deployed warheads for North Korea; 60 warheads are shown as reserve.
Its first nuclear test was in 2006, 20 years ago.
Its NPT status is "withdrew from NPT", the same as 0 of the other 8 states on record.
| Measure | North Korea | World (all nine states) | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total inventory | 60 | 12,187 | under 1% of world, 9th of 9 |
| Military stockpile | 60 | 9,745 | under 1% of world |
Worked out from the entries on this site only, so a figure compares North Korea 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