Countries are increasing nuclear weapons stockpiles and ready-to-use warheads, signaling a shift away from decades of disarmament, international monitors warned on March 26.
The Nuclear Weapons Ban Monitor said nearly all nine nuclear-armed states–Russia, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea–are expanding or planning to expand arsenals, with production and deployment rising. Indeed, weakening arms control and global tensions are fueling renewed fears of a nuclear arms race.
Against this backdrop, some nations maintain strict and often alarming defense policies, including the continued development and deployment of nuclear weapons. With a global stockpile close to 13,000, many of these warheads are far more powerful than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
But which countries host the most nuclear weapons? Click on to find out.