North Korea
withdrew from NPT civil nuclear programme
Estimated total
60
warheads · 2026-01
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The only state to have joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty and then withdrawn, in 2003, and the only one to have tested nuclear weapons this century.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.
Estimated inventory · 2026-01
| 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% |
Programme
| 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 |