Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted by Country

The total number of nuclear weapon test explosions conducted by each country since the first test in 1945, according to the Arms Control Association. At least eight nations have carried out more than 2,000 tests in total, the great majority...

About This Dataset

Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted by Country
The total number of nuclear weapon test explosions conducted by each country since the first test in 1945, according to the Arms Control Association. At least eight nations have carried out more than 2,000 tests in total, the great majority during the Cold War.
✨ AI Insight

Testing was overwhelmingly a two-superpower affair: the United States (1,030 tests) and the Soviet Union / Russia (715) together account for roughly 83% of all nuclear tests ever conducted. France is a distant third at 210, while the United Kingdom and China are tied at 45 each. The declared and undeclared newer nuclear states tested far less: North Korea conducted 6 tests (all between 2006 and 2017), India 3 and Pakistan 2. The sharp fall-off after the top three reflects both the maturity of the US and Soviet arsenals and the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, after which only North Korea has continued testing. The data captures how a technology pioneered by two rivals slowly spread to a small club of states.

Source:  Arms Control Association (Nuclear Testing Tally)

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

🏆
United States leads with 1,030 in All Time.
📊
Average value in All Time: 257  ·  median: 45.
↔️
Gap in All Time: United States is 515× larger than Pakistan.

Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted by Country

Bar
H-Bar
Line
Area
Table
Loading...

Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

Admin
Data Points
8
8 categories  ·  1 year
Top Value
1,030
United States
Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) · All Time
Metrics
1
Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017)
Period
All Time
Single year snapshot

Category Rankings

Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) · All Time

# Category All Time
🥇 United States 1,030
🥈 Russia (USSR) 715
🥉 France 210
4 United Kingdom 45
5 China 45
6 North Korea 6
7 India 3
8 Pakistan 2
Statistical Summary — Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) · All Time
1,030
Maximum
2
Minimum
257
Average
45
Median

What This Data Shows

Auto-generated trend summaries per category

United States
Recorded 1,030 Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) in All Time.
Russia (USSR)
Recorded 715 Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) in All Time.
France
Recorded 210 Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) in All Time.
United Kingdom
Recorded 45 Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) in All Time.
China
Recorded 45 Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) in All Time.
North Korea
Recorded 6 Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) in All Time.
India
Recorded 3 Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) in All Time.
Pakistan
Recorded 2 Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) in All Time.

Full Data Table

8 records across 1 year

✓ 8 sourced
Category Metric All Time Source
United States Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) 1,030
Russia (USSR) Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) 715
France Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) 210
United Kingdom Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) 45
China Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) 45
North Korea Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) 6
India Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) 3
Pakistan Total Nuclear Weapon Tests Conducted (1945-2017) 2

Data Sources & References

All external sources cited in this dataset

Related Charts

More statistics on similar topics

Related All Time
North Ko South Ko Japan Belarus Russia Germany
13.2
North Korea
Countries with the Most Hospital Beds Per Capita

East Asian and former Eastern Bloc countries dominate hospital-bed capacity. North Korea reports the highest figure at 1...

View Chart 2 hours ago
Related All Time
Ireland United S Belgium Turkey Austria Iceland
3,884
Ireland
Countries with the Highest Calorie Intake Per Capita

Ireland tops the list with 3,884 calories available per person per day, followed by the United States (3,781) and Belgiu...

View Chart 2 hours ago
Related All Time
United S China Japan Germany United K France
826.9
United States
Largest Contributors to the UN Regular Budget 2025

The United States is the single largest contributor to the UN regular budget at about $827 million, the maximum any coun...

View Chart 3 hours ago

🎨 Create Your Own Charts!

Transform your data into beautiful interactive charts. No account required.

Create Chart Now