Who has the bomb ?

Nuclear Weapon States

China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States.

Each of these states has declared its nuclear weapons program and been recognised as a nuclear weapon state (NWS) under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The NPT defines a NWS as that which has tested a nuclear weapon prior to January 1, 1967.

Non-NPT Nuclear Weapon States

India, Israel and Pakistan.

India and Pakistan conducted nuclear explosive tests in May 1998 and declared themselves nuclear weapon states. Neither is a party to the NPT, nor recognised by the NPT as a NWS. Neither is believed to have deployed weapons as of 2002. India is believed to be capable of assembling up to 80 nuclear weapons - and Pakistan up to 20 - on short notice. Israel , which is also not an NPT member, has not declared its nuclear weapons capability, but is believed to have over 100 assembled nuclear weapons.

Renunciations

Algeria, Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Romania, South Africa, Ukraine.

South Africa dismantled its arsenal of six nuclear weapons in the early 1990s. Argentina and Brazil abandoned a nuclear weapons program and accepted bilateral and IAEA inspections. Romania built a stockpile of plutonium for possible weapons use under the Ceausescu regime. This was terminated by the new government in 1989. When the USSR collapsed in 1991, nuclear weapons remaining on the territories Ukraine , Belarus and Kazakhstan were withdrawn to Russia , and these states joined the NPT as non-nuclear weapon states.

Nuclear Sharers

Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey.

These countries host US nuclear weapons on their territories and have agreements with the US to assume control over the nuclear weapons in time of war.

Threshold States

Iraq , North Korea , Iran.

All four states are parties to the NPT but are suspected to have possible nuclear weapons intentions. Following the Gulf War, Iraq was discovered to have a clandestine nuclear weapons program. This was dismantled by the United Nations Special Commission, but Iraq may be resuming it. North Korea halted IAEA inspections in 1994 and was suspected of extracting plutonium from its nuclear power plants with which it could construct a bomb. However, it has subsequently allowed the IAEA to resume inspections and negotiated a confidence building agreement with the US regarding its nuclear facilities. Iran has developed nuclear power facilities with the assistance of China , and is suspected of having nuclear weapons intentions arising primarily from its rivalry with Iraq.

Abstainers

Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan.

All these countries have at least one commercial-scale nuclear facility which could provide fissile material for a nuclear bomb. Several of these countries explored a nuclear weapons option in the 1960s or 1970s, but have subsequently joined the NPT as non-nuclear weapon states and accepted IAEA safeguards.