Nine countries accumulate the 15,000 nuclear weapons that exist in the world

Nine countries in the world have about 15,000 nuclear weapons, a figure that shows that expressions of world leaders for nuclear disarmament do not mean a binding letter of intent, as recorded by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN ), who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, 6 October. ICAN has received the award for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the use of atomic weapons as part of the escalating tension over North Korean threats and increased nuclear capacity around the world. The United States and Russia accumulate a total of 13,800 nuclear weapons, of which 1,800 are likely to be used in a matter of minutes if necessary. The United States, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea add atomic equipment, according to the anti-nuclear initiative based on the official data presented by the Federation of Scientists of the United States in 2017.

Countries with nuclear weapons 

The race for nuclear development was started by the United States, which is also the only country that has used this type of artifacts in a conflict and spends more budget than the rest of the countries combined in its nuclear program. Its 6,800 weapons place him, however, behind the 7,000 of Russia, the nation with the largest arsenal in the world. At a great distance, France and the United Kingdom maintain about 250 nuclear equipment with which they have mainly equipped several submarines, in contrast to China that has the capacity to transport a similar number of weapons by land, sea and air. Both India and Pakistan have developed their nuclear program in recent years, but their rapidity has enabled them to acquire substantial infrastructures and more than a hundred weapons. For its part, the Israeli authorities are ambiguous regarding its atomic arsenal, without denying or accepting its existence, although experts estimate that it has around 80 teams. North Korea is the country on the list with less nuclear equipment, not exceeding ten weapons. However, its missile tests and its threats to use an ever-growing weapons program have raised concern for the international community in the face of fears of a possible atomic war.

Countries indirectly related to the nuclear program

ICAN points out that five European countries have a US nuclear arsenal in their territory - Belgium, Germany, Italy, Turkey and the Netherlands - as a result of agreements signed within the framework of NATO. In addition, dozens of countries have nuclear alliances with those powers that have their own weapons. Faced with the growing threat of nuclear war, more than 20 countries see the possession of nuclear weapons by the United States as a guarantee of security for them. There are also many nations that have a nuclear industry or research reactors capable of manufacturing such equipment, in a race that has been activated in urban areas "it would kill millions of people and have effects for decades," according to the organization laureate The Nobel Committee stressed in its speech Friday that "the next step to have a world free of nuclear weapons must involve the countries that have them." "That's why this year's Nobel Prize is also a call on these countries to start negotiations seriously with the prospect of a careful, gradual, balanced and supervised elimination of the nearly 15,000 nuclear weapons in the world."