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nuclearchain

Pakistan

never joined NPT civil nuclear programme
Estimated total
170
warheads · 2026-01

Pakistan is estimated to hold 170 nuclear warheads, about 1% of the world total, of which roughly 170 are in its military stockpile. All figures are open-source estimates as of 2026-01.

Pakistan's programme is built primarily on uranium enrichment rather than plutonium, and tested within weeks of India's 1998 tests. The A.Q. Khan network, which exported centrifuge technology from Pakistan to Libya, Iran and North Korea, is the most serious proliferation breach on record and is why enrichment technology is controlled as tightly as it is.

Estimated inventory · 2026-01
Deployed strategicnone deployed
Deployed non-strategicnone reported
Reserve / non-deployed170
Military stockpile170
Total inventory170 incl. retired
Share of world total1.4%
Programme
First test1998-05-28
NPT statusnever joined NPT
Publicly declaredYes
Fissile material routePrimarily highly enriched uranium
Civil programmeReactors in Pakistan

Other armed states

CountryEstimated total
Russia 5,420
United States 5,042
China 620
France 370
United Kingdom 225
India 190
Israel 90
North Korea 60

Sources

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