Who are the nine most powerful countries with nuclear weapons? Find out where India stands.

Nine countries in the world possess a total of 12,241 nuclear weapons. Russia and the United States have the most, with 180 and 170, respectively, while India has 180 and Pakistan has 170. Of these, 2,100 weapons are on high alert.

The bombings by Iran and Israel once plunged the entire world into the fear of World War III. At that time, the United States took the lead, claiming to have destroyed all of Tehran's nuclear sites. However, Iran denied this claim. But the question remains: how many nuclear weapons are left in the world?

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's (SIPRI) Yearbook 2025, as of January 2025, nine countries in the world possessed a combined 12,241 nuclear weapons. India is one of these countries. The report states that despite global tensions, many countries are upgrading their nuclear programs. While the Russia-Ukraine war and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East are prompting calls for a shift away from nuclear weapons, the number of nuclear weapons continues to grow, raising concerns.

1	America (USA)	5,177	The country with the largest number of nuclear weapons, continues to modernize
2	Russia	5,459	The world's largest nuclear arsenal, with many weapons on high alert
3	China	600	Rapidly expanding nuclear program, developing new missile systems
4	France	290	Major nuclear country of Europe, NATO member
5	Britain (UK)	225	Relying on the Trident missile system, limited but modern stocks
6	India	180	Follows 'No First Use' policy, focuses on increasing missile range
7	Pakistan	170	Policy to maintain nuclear balance against India
8	Israel	90	Does not formally recognize nuclear power, but has atomic capability
9	North Korea	50	Frequent missile tests have caused global concern.

The SIPRI report states that approximately 3,912 nuclear weapons are deployed on missiles and aircraft around the world. Of these, 2,100 weapons are on high alert, meaning they can be used within minutes.

9 nuclear countries are working on nuclear modernization programs

Apart from this, all the 9 nuclear countries are still working on their nuclear modernization programs, under which old weapons are being upgraded with new technology.

Some countries have destroyed old, retired nuclear weapons.

According to the report, fewer countries have destroyed retired nuclear weapons than last year. However, almost as many new weapons are being manufactured as are being eliminated. This means that the world is still not completely free from the threat of nuclear war.