United States
United States is estimated to hold 5,042 nuclear warheads, about 41% of the world total, of which roughly 3,700 are in its military stockpile and 1,770 are deployed with operational forces. All figures are open-source estimates as of 2026-01.
The only state to have used nuclear weapons in war. Its stockpile has fallen by roughly 85% from a 1967 peak of over 31,000, and it is the only state that has periodically declassified its historical stockpile numbers.
| Deployed strategic | 1,670 |
|---|---|
| Deployed non-strategic | 100 |
| Reserve / non-deployed | 1,930 |
| Military stockpile | 3,700 |
| Total inventory | 5,042 incl. retired |
| Share of world total | 41.4% |
| First test | 1945-07-16 |
|---|---|
| NPT status | NPT nuclear-weapon state |
| Publicly declared | Yes |
| Fissile material route | Highly enriched uranium and plutonium |
| Civil programme | Reactors in United States |
Nuclear-powered vessels
Naval propulsion is the largest use of highly enriched uranium outside weapons programmes.
| Programme | Type | Fuel enrichment |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia class | submarine | HEU |
| Gerald R. Ford class | carrier | HEU |
| Los Angeles class | submarine | HEU |
| Nimitz class | carrier | HEU |
| Ohio class | submarine | HEU |
| Seawolf class | submarine | HEU |
| Virginia class | submarine | HEU |
Other armed states
| Country | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| Russia | 5,420 |
| China | 620 |
| France | 370 |
| United Kingdom | 225 |
| India | 190 |
| Pakistan | 170 |
| Israel | 90 |
| North Korea | 60 |
United States in context
Its total inventory of 5,042 warheads is 41% of the 12,187 across the 9 states on record, ranking 2nd.
Its military stockpile of 3,700 is 38% of the world's 9,745.
1,342 warheads in its total are outside the military stockpile: retired warheads awaiting dismantlement, which headline totals often fold in.
1,770 of its warheads are listed as deployed (1,670 strategic, 100 non-strategic), 48% of the military stockpile, with 1,930 in reserve.
Its first nuclear test was in 1945, 81 years ago.
Its NPT status is "NPT nuclear-weapon state", the same as 4 of the other 8 states on record.
| Measure | United States | World (all nine states) | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total inventory | 5,042 | 12,187 | 41% of world, 2nd of 9 |
| Military stockpile | 3,700 | 9,745 | 38% of world |
| Deployed warheads | 1,770 | 4,000 | 44% of world |
Worked out from the entries on this site only, so a figure compares United States 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