Russia
Russia is estimated to hold 5,420 nuclear warheads, about 44% of the world total, of which roughly 4,400 are in its military stockpile and 1,796 are deployed with operational forces. All figures are open-source estimates as of 2026-01.
The largest inventory in the world. The gap between the military stockpile (4,400) and the total inventory (5,420) is roughly a thousand retired warheads awaiting dismantlement, a distinction that matters, because headline "total" figures often mix the two.
| Deployed strategic | 1,796 |
|---|---|
| Deployed non-strategic | none reported |
| Reserve / non-deployed | 2,604 |
| Military stockpile | 4,400 |
| Total inventory | 5,420 incl. retired |
| Share of world total | 44.5% |
| First test | 1949-08-29 |
|---|---|
| NPT status | NPT nuclear-weapon state |
| Publicly declared | Yes |
| Fissile material route | Highly enriched uranium and plutonium |
| Civil programme | Reactors in Russia |
Nuclear-powered vessels
Naval propulsion is the largest use of highly enriched uranium outside weapons programmes.
| Programme | Type | Fuel enrichment |
|---|---|---|
| Akula class | submarine | - |
| Borei class | submarine | HALEU |
| Kirov class | cruiser | - |
| NS Sevmorput | cargo | - |
| Oscar II class | submarine | - |
| Project 10510 Lider | icebreaker | - |
| Project 22220 (LK-60) | icebreaker | HALEU |
| Taymyr class | icebreaker | HALEU |
| Yasen class | submarine | HALEU |
Other armed states
| Country | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| United States | 5,042 |
| China | 620 |
| France | 370 |
| United Kingdom | 225 |
| India | 190 |
| Pakistan | 170 |
| Israel | 90 |
| North Korea | 60 |
Russia in context
Its total inventory of 5,420 warheads is 44% of the 12,187 across the 9 states on record, ranking 1st.
Its military stockpile of 4,400 is 45% of the world's 9,745.
1,020 warheads in its total are outside the military stockpile: retired warheads awaiting dismantlement, which headline totals often fold in.
1,796 of its warheads are listed as deployed (1,796 strategic, 0 non-strategic), 41% of the military stockpile, with 2,604 in reserve.
Its first nuclear test was in 1949, 77 years ago.
Its NPT status is "NPT nuclear-weapon state", the same as 4 of the other 8 states on record.
| Measure | Russia | World (all nine states) | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total inventory | 5,420 | 12,187 | 44% of world, 1st of 9 |
| Military stockpile | 4,400 | 9,745 | 45% of world |
| Deployed warheads | 1,796 | 4,000 | 45% of world |
Worked out from the entries on this site only, so a figure compares Russia 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