History
Verified dataThe nuclear arms race peaked in 1986
Warheads in military stockpiles. Cold-War rivalry drove the American and Soviet arsenals to about 64,000 combined by the mid-1980s; they have since fallen by roughly 85%, though thousands remain.
Warheads in military stockpiles worldwide climbed to about 64,000 by 1986 — almost all American or Soviet — and have since fallen by roughly 85% to around 9,700, though nine states still hold them.
Key findings
- US and Soviet arsenals drove the global stockpile to about 64,000 warheads by 1986.
- The United States peaked around 1967; the Soviet Union kept building and peaked higher, in 1986.
- Arsenals have fallen roughly 85% since, but nine states still hold about 9,700 warheads — the US and Russia over 80% of them.
Explore the data
Coverage: Jan 1, 1945 – Dec 31, 2026 · World
Sources
Primary source
Federation of American Scientists (Kristensen et al.)
via Our World in Data
Number of nuclear warheads in the stockpiles of nuclear powers
Accessed Aug 22, 2026
Warheads in military stockpiles (deployed + reserve); USSR shown as Russia; 1945–2026.
Methodology
Estimated warheads in the military stockpiles (deployed plus reserve) of all nuclear-armed states, 1945 to 2026, with Soviet-era figures carried under Russia. Estimates are from the Federation of American Scientists (Kristensen and colleagues), distributed via Our World in Data.
What this does not show
Stockpile figures exclude retired warheads awaiting dismantlement; counting those, the global total peaked near 70,000 in 1986 and stands around 12,000 today. All national totals are independent expert estimates — official counts are secret — and “other states” combines seven countries, including a growing Chinese arsenal.
Creator
Reuse this visualization
Attribution
Graphic by Chartive Editorial, using data from Federation of American Scientists (Kristensen et al.)
License: CC BY 4.0
Embed code
<figure style="margin:0;max-width:1600px">
<a href="https://chartive.org/visualizations/nuclear-arsenals-1945-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img src="https://chartive.org/infographics/nuclear-arsenals-1945-2026.png" alt="Stacked area chart of nuclear warheads in military stockpiles, 1945–2026. The United States (navy) and Soviet Union/Russia (red) dominate; the combined total rises to about 64,000 in 1986 and falls to roughly 9,700 by 2026, with seven other states adding about 1,600." width="1600" height="2133" style="max-width:100%;height:auto" />
</a>
<figcaption style="font:14px/1.4 system-ui,sans-serif;color:#57534e;margin-top:8px">
Graphic by Chartive Editorial, using data from Federation of American Scientists (Kristensen et al.) — via <a href="https://chartive.org/visualizations/nuclear-arsenals-1945-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chartive</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>Reuse is welcome — the embed keeps a link back to the source.
