How Many Nuclear Warhead Exist, And Who Has Them?

Since Russia first invaded Ukraine nearly three weeks ago, the threat of nuclear weapon use has risen. The bombs get their energy from either splitting atoms or joining the tiny particles inside the atoms together.

That's also why a nuclear bomb is sometimes called an atomic bomb. Nuclear weapons release huge amounts of radiation - which can cause radiation sickness - so their actual impact lasts longer than the blast. But they've only ever been used twice in history against Japan in 1945 during World War Two where they caused huge devastation and enormous loss of life. The radiation from the bomb dropped on the city of Hiroshima lasted several months and killed an estimated 80,000 people. And the bomb dropped on Nagasaki killed more than 70,000 people. They haven't been detonated in war since then. Nine countries currently have nuclear weapons: the US, UK, Russia, France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea.