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Countries with Nuclear Weapons

Name all the countries that have ever possessed nuclear weapons.
Not counting countries that hold nuclear weapons under the control of another country
Source: Wikipedia
Quiz by mac212121
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Last updated: November 1, 2018
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First submittedJuly 12, 2012
Times taken208,799
Average score80.0%
Rating4.89
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Status
Country
Acknowledged
China
Acknowledged
France
Acknowledged
India
Acknowledged
North Korea
Acknowledged
Pakistan
Status
Country
Acknowledged
Russia
Acknowledged
United Kingdom
Acknowledged
United States
Unacknowledged
Israel
Former
South Africa
101 Recent Comments
+2
Level 35
Jun 13, 2016
Got 100%. South Africa was a lucky guess - I didn't actually know that they ever had nuclear weapons.
+1
Level 38
Mar 20, 2024
Thanks i struggled, now i know
+1
Level 27
Jun 19, 2024
I only knew cus Israel tried to stop Mandela's govt from releasing the documents regarding Israel trying to buy nukes off apartheid South Africa
+1
Level 88
Oct 10, 2024
Israel had nukes before South Africa. Do you mean they tried to buy uranium or something?
+2
Level 49
Sep 25, 2016
Libya had them until recently. Was only public knowledge when ISIS were steering towards their territory and they had them and the UN or US got them moved to Germany apparently to be destroyed.
+7
Level 63
Feb 12, 2024
No. They had a nuclear weapons program. They never actually had nuclear weapons.
+1
Level 29
Oct 20, 2016
Easy
+1
Level 43
Dec 28, 2016
In 30 seconds. But, I must ask, how did 1% of people not get the USA?
+5
Level 74
Apr 20, 2018
Maybe got interrupted and didn't finish the quiz? Or maybe, like I sometimes do, thought they'd already typed it.
+3
Level 37
Jan 4, 2017
Ukrine? After declaring thier independence from the Soviet Union, they were immediately propelled to third place in their number of nukes. They then gave them all back to Russia.
+5
Level 66
Sep 22, 2017
I came to post this too, but I'm guessing they fall under the disclaimer "Not counting countries that hold nuclear weapons under the control of another country."
+2
Level 18
Mar 26, 2017
Uh ive no idea whether israel is a threat or whatever...but what i do know is that their intelligence is one among the finest in the world...good quiz b/w;)
+4
Level 33
Aug 19, 2017
I got them all except for the United States. I am so stupid.
+2
Level 17
Apr 23, 2018
so that was the 1% without the USA!!!
+5
Level 30
Nov 16, 2017
Ukraine should also be on this list, as they had the third highest amount after gaining independence, but they decommissioned all of them.
+3
Level 66
Apr 14, 2018
Kazakhstan and Belarus had some as well.
+1
Level 20
Mar 14, 2024
No, at that time they were part of Udssr.
+1
Level 44
Jan 19, 2018
This was a question on one of our social-studies/history/geography tests back in 9th grade
+1
Level 20
Apr 13, 2018
The moment I attended the quiz, I quit the quiz. I must admit I did it because the quiz was not so nice.
+7
Level 81
Apr 13, 2018
So who is it that stuck around and visited the comments section?
+2
Level 76
Apr 13, 2018
'countries that have ever posessed'... I remember one that had so many there was a 40 year stand-off required to face down the threat. USSR anyone?
+1
Level 65
Apr 18, 2018
Yes. And this country is considered distinct from Russia on other quizzes (e.g. Olympic medal winners).
+1
Level 74
May 23, 2020
That was the first one I tried.
+2
Level 38
Apr 14, 2018
What a guess I got South Africa

I was just spamming big powerful countries until I got it right

+2
Level 66
Apr 14, 2018
Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan all had nuclear weapons after the fall of the USSR in 1991. Belarus had 81, Kazakhstan had 1,400 and Ukraine had over 5,000. Kazakhstan gave them up in 1995, and Ukraine and Belarus gave them up in 1996. You should add them.
+1
Level ∞
Apr 15, 2018
Read the description again.
+5
Level 83
Apr 30, 2020
It looks like Quizmaster is right, the nuclear weapons were located in Ukraine, but they weren't able to use them:

While Ukraine had physical control of the weapons, it did not have operational control of the weapons as they were dependent on Russian-controlled electronic Permissive Action Links and the Russian command and control system.

+12
Level 81
Apr 15, 2018
Ukraine returned theirs to Russia as part of a deal where Russia promised to always respect Ukrainian sovereignty.

They should have kept the nukes.

+1
Level 17
Apr 23, 2018
and then make Russia go boom boom
+1
Level 42
Feb 4, 2019
I would have kept some and give the rest to the US. I don't trust what Russia or China does one bit.
+3
Level 49
May 23, 2019
I don't trust most countries in the world, but it seems that out of the more powerful ones, Russia, China, and the USA are especially untrustworthy, and to be honest, evil at times.
+2
Level 78
May 23, 2020
I wonder which powerful country has ever been, or could ever be, "trustworthy".
+3
Level 81
May 27, 2020
The countries with the strongest and most stable political or democratic institutions, with low levels of corruption, a strong rule of law, and positive diplomatic and trade relations with the majority of other countries in the world could be considered more trustworthy than others. But any country's leadership can take a turn for the worse and this can happen very quickly and unexpectedly. See... the US going from Obama to Trump. Or the rise of Hitler, Mussolini, Khomeini or Castro. But the Obama -> Trump transition is arguably the most remarkable downgrade in leadership quality in modern world history, both in its severity and rapidity.

Best solution to this problem would probably be to make it so NO country has nuclear weapons. They are too dangerous to keep around anywhere.

+1
Level 78
Jul 29, 2020
Obviously. But many people apply false equivalencies because no one meets their highest ethical standards.
+5
Level 32
May 3, 2018
India has nukes
+2
Level 81
Jul 7, 2018
and?
+2
Level 49
May 22, 2018
Maybe the USSR should be included in this quiz, alongside Russia. It would be listed as a country that formerly had nuclear weapons.
+2
Level 70
Oct 29, 2018
Nucular, not nuclear!
+1
Level 60
Mar 23, 2020
Oh, I get it!
+2
Level 58
Feb 16, 2024
yep, all these countries with nucular bambs and wappens
+2
Level 52
Feb 3, 2019
So glad South Africa stopped their nuclear program... Imagine what can happen in such a weak, under-developed country... Would probably be worse than Pakistan...
+4
Level 67
Feb 4, 2019
Well South Africa isn't really that under developed. However, good job to them for giving up nukes.
+3
Level 60
May 23, 2020
When has Pakistan misused nuclear weapons?
+6
Level 57
Jun 23, 2020
Pakistan did help North Korea in their nuclear projects. Moreover, nukes are not safe in the hands of a state where military has very high influence.
+2
Level 26
Feb 8, 2021
lmao keep dreaming indian
+2
Level 71
May 11, 2022
Pakistan may not have misused nuclear weapons yet, but @Abhishek has a point. A country that is highly prone to coups and political crises is not the best place to have nukes. Moreover, it's a misuse of funds. Pakistan has a pretty weak economy and much of the money the Pakistani government used to develop nuclear weapons could have been invested elsewhere. In contrast, India might not be the richest country but overall it still is wealthier and has a much stronger economy than Pakistan, so it has the money to develop nukes without compromising its development.
+1
Level 66
Feb 4, 2019
Ukraine and Kazakhstan technically had nukes, but they gave them to Russia as an agreement that Russia would not be military aggressive towards them... well look at Ukraine now
+1
Level 49
Mar 11, 2019
Ukraine hasn't been touched by Russia, except for the south Island but it's Ukraine's again now so.
+6
Level 81
Jun 2, 2019
the "south island?" What island? Do you mean the Crimean Peninsula? Crimea (internationally recognized as part of Ukraine) has been officially annexed by the Russian Federation. It is NOT back in Ukrainian hands, far from it. Further, large sections of Eastern Ukraine have been under occupation by Russian or Russian-aligned forces, under the guise of a civil war, since 2014, notably including the large city of Donetsk, and previously Kharkiv. You apparently do not know what you're talking about.
+1
Level 83
Apr 30, 2020
Donetsk and Luhansk are the two major separatist cities. Kharkiv was only very briefly touched by that.
+2
Level 81
May 23, 2020
which is why I said Donetsk is currently occupied and Khakiv previously was. I mentioned those two because they are both among the largest cities in Ukraine. Luhansk is smaller.
+4
Level 61
May 7, 2022
This comment didn't age well.
+1
Level 28
May 22, 2019
3:31
+1
Level 27
Jul 18, 2019
ukraine used to have nukes until they gave it to (at that time) the Ussr in a treaty
+1
Level 73
Oct 21, 2024
Well, no, they returned them to Russia. When Ukraine became independent the USSR no longer existed. Both the Russian SSR and the Ukrainian SSR were constituents republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. So by the time the Ukraine was a sovereign nation, there was no USSR to return them to. They returned them to Russia, which was designated internationally as the successor state to the USSR. Apart from that, strictly speaking , Russia became independent of the USSR at the same time as Ukraine did.
+1
Level 36
Jul 28, 2019
Israel and Palestine: A perfect example of the heirs of two brothers (Isaac and Ishmael) in a constant feud over their inheritance and who is entitled to the spoils.
+2
Level 74
May 23, 2020
Not all Arabs descend only from Ishmael. According to the Bible, Abraham had six sons with his second wife, Keturah. Some scholars believe Keturah was actually Hagar whom he married after Sarah's death, but others believe she was a different woman. Although Abraham left everything to Isaac after he died, he gave gifts to his other sons before his death, and Isaac and Ishmael together buried their father. (Gen. 25:1-10) Also, Ishmael's daughter Mahalath was the third wife of Isaac's son, Esau, so it doesn't seem that the family was estranged. (Gen. 28:9) I don't know what the Quran says about Abraham's descendants. Maybe someone else here will answer that question.
+1
Level 81
May 23, 2020
There are several different religious traditions that hold Isaac was the progenitor of the "Jewish race" and Ishmael/Ismail the progenitor of the "Arab race." Muslims traditionally believe that Ibrahim took his son Ismail, fathered by his wife (not servant or concubine) Hagar, into the desert and there built a house for Allah, the Kabaa. They even say you can still see his footprints eternalized in the stone of Mecca, so they've got hard evidence .... of course in reality these stories are fairy tales without any basis in fact. The first Hebrews became a distinct ethnicity somewhere in the Levant some 3000+ years ago. "Arab" was a blanket term used to describe any of the desert-dwelling nomads who lived beyond the edge of civilization on the Arabian peninsula. Several hundred years after the Muslim conquest of the Middle East and North Africa, pan-Arabism became a thing and all these many different subjugated peoples started identifying as Arabs.
+1
Level 50
Nov 21, 2019
Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Ukraine held possession of nuclear weapons after the breakup of the USSR. They did however sell them back to Russia.
+1
Level 37
Apr 22, 2020
I don't know how I got every thing but North Korea.
+3
Level 51
May 5, 2020
Hey, the Marshall Islands has a nuclear bomb. Sure, it wasn’t theirs and it was blown up but still.
+1
Level 73
Oct 21, 2024
By that logic, so has Japan…
+1
Level 47
May 6, 2020
Omg I forgot China :D
+3
Level 59
May 15, 2020
Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Ukraine also used to have Nukes. And under the NPT, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands get Nukes belonging to other countries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_with_nuclear_weapons

+2
Level ∞
May 15, 2020
Read the caveats and other comments please.
+2
Level 46
May 23, 2020
Where is Iran with unacknowledged Weapons
+1
Level 81
May 23, 2020
Iran does not have nuclear weapons.
+1
Level 73
May 23, 2020
Mac212121 is currently #21
+4
Level 59
May 23, 2020
Please add Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Ukraine in former states with nukes plz.
+1
Level 53
Jun 6, 2020
darn it i didnt know that south africa had nuclear weapons
+2
Level 69
Aug 3, 2020
Wow I didn't know about South Africa
+2
Level 28
Feb 19, 2021
same
+1
Level 57
Jan 29, 2021
Wouldn't former soviet states count?
+1
Level 28
Feb 19, 2021
0:29

Scoring

You scored 10/10 = 100%

26.8% of test takers also scored 100%

The average score is 8

Your high score is 10

Your fastest time is 3:31

wow first try :>

+1
Level 46
Oct 4, 2021
South Africa is on here wow, wasn't expecting that
+1
Level 60
Oct 5, 2021
Letter U Scavenger Hunt Answer (see my blog)
+1
Level 52
Oct 31, 2021
South Africa doesnt have nukes it was FORMER
+6
Level 59
Dec 6, 2021
yeah it literally says that
+1
Level 71
Dec 6, 2021
The sad thing is, these nations probably won't ever give up their nuclear weapons. There was a treaty a few years ago calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Even though it had tons of support among developing countries, absolutely none of the nuclear powers or members of NATO (who support the nuclear capabilities of the US/UK/France) signed it. Just check out this map.
+1
Level 79
Jun 2, 2022
It's a bit disingenuous for a country incapable of developing nuclear weapons signing a treaty to ban them
+1
Level 40
Sep 25, 2022
It's a bit disingenuous for a person incapable of throwing a hand grenade, voting to ban their sale to children?

Why would they want otherwise.

+1
Level 63
Feb 12, 2024
Is it a sad thing? look at how Pakistan and India are so careful not to go to war with each other having fought several major wars before acquiring nukes.

Would Russia have invaded Ukraine it Ukraine had held on to their nukes?

Nukes have proved to be a great way of keeping the peace. Of course the consequences would be horrific if something goes wrong.

+1
Level 43
Dec 6, 2021
former states are also belarus, ukraine and kazakhstan
+1
Level 36
Dec 7, 2021
3.41 ez
+2
Level 47
May 20, 2022
For a couple of months Ukraine had the third biggest arsenal of nukes in the world
+2
Level 79
Jun 2, 2022
Including South Africa and not the former USSR countries is inconsistent.
+1
Level 56
Jun 17, 2022
I almost forgot North Korea LOL
+1
Level 5
Jul 14, 2022
You scored 10/10 = 100%

27.7% of test takers also scored 100%

The average score is 8

Your high score is 10

Your fastest time is 2:39

+1
Level 72
Sep 11, 2022
You scored 10/10 = 100%

27.7% of test takers also scored 100%

The average score is 8

Your high score is 10

Your fastest time is 0:15

+2
Level 43
Nov 22, 2022
What about Ukraine? They had nukes for a while after soviet collapse.
+3
Level 69
Jan 30, 2023
Ukraine should be included since it formerly possessed nukes.

And maybe put up a category with "speculated" to include Iran

+3
Level 70
May 15, 2023
As some have pointed out, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, have all had nuclear warheads at some point according to your source. If these are included in the "countries that hold nuclear weapons under the control of another country" as mentioned in your caveat, I'd put them on the quiz grayed-out; I feel like it's a little unclear right now.
+1
Level 60
May 16, 2023
You can merge the acknowledged
+2
Level 53
Jun 6, 2023
I took a tour of an old missile silo in North Dakota (a very remote part of the state, too!) and at the peak of the Cold War, if ND was an independent country, it would have had the third largest stockpile in the world, after the US and USSR.

BTW, it was really cool! For Cold War era kids, it is worth the journey! Cooperstown, ND - check it out!

+1
Level 55
Jun 20, 2023
south africa is based
+1
Level 32
Jun 20, 2023
Actually Israel is part of the known nuclear 9
+1
Level 58
Jun 20, 2023
It's an open secret that Israel has nukes, but the govt policy is to deny it and hold that diplomatic leverage, and there has been continuity in official policy.
+1
Level 21
Jun 26, 2023
How was Israel & North Korea guessed so low?
+2
Level 37
Nov 2, 2023
Ukraine also had nuclear weapons after the soviet union collapsed but they gave it to Russia in return of expecting them to stay away from their land..
+1
Level 45
Feb 29, 2024
Didn't Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus all have nukes too?
+1
Level 49
May 13, 2024
10/10 :3