{"id": 819360, "name": "Number of countries pursuing nuclear weapons", "unit": "", "createdAt": "2024-01-15T11:26:04.000Z", "updatedAt": "2025-08-18T10:46:00.000Z", "coverage": "", "timespan": "1938-2023", "datasetId": 6350, "shortUnit": "", "columnOrder": 0, "shortName": "n_countries_pursuing", "catalogPath": "grapher/war/2024-01-11/nuclear_weapons_proliferation/nuclear_weapons_proliferation_counts#n_countries_pursuing", "descriptionProcessing": "- The information on the number and status of nuclear weapons was manually extracted from Bleek (2017). For recent years, the data has been double-checked with information from the Nuclear Threat Initiative.", "type": "int", "dataChecksum": "15804355879439654893", "metadataChecksum": "6320970023591397713", "datasetName": "Nuclear Weapons Proliferation", "updatePeriodDays": 365, "datasetVersion": "2024-01-11", "nonRedistributable": false, "display": {"name": "Pursuing"}, "schemaVersion": 2, "processingLevel": "major", "presentation": {"titlePublic": "Number of countries pursuing nuclear weapons", "topicTagsLinks": ["Nuclear Weapons", "War & Peace"]}, "descriptionKey": ["A country is classified as not considering nuclear weapons if it neither considers, pursues, or possesses nuclear weapons.", "A country is classified as considering nuclear weapons if its leaders explore whether it is possible and desirable for them to attempt to acquire nuclear weapons, or they work to increase their nuclear weapons capabilities, but without launching a dedicated program.", "A country is classified as pursuing nuclear weapons if it has an active program to acquire nuclear weapons or to obtain the ability to construct them on short notice.", "A country is classified as possessing nuclear weapons if it has a nuclear-explosive device that it can deliver. Conducting an explosive nuclear test is therefore neither sufficient nor necessary.", "Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine are not classified as possessing nuclear weapons because they never had operational control of the nuclear weapons left over from the Soviet Union."], "dimensions": {"years": {"values": [{"id": 1938}, {"id": 1939}, {"id": 1940}, {"id": 1941}, {"id": 1942}, {"id": 1943}, {"id": 1944}, {"id": 1945}, {"id": 1946}, {"id": 1947}, {"id": 1948}, {"id": 1949}, {"id": 1950}, {"id": 1951}, {"id": 1952}, {"id": 1953}, {"id": 1954}, {"id": 1955}, {"id": 1956}, {"id": 1957}, {"id": 1958}, {"id": 1959}, {"id": 1960}, {"id": 1961}, {"id": 1962}, {"id": 1963}, {"id": 1964}, {"id": 1965}, {"id": 1966}, {"id": 1967}, {"id": 1968}, {"id": 1969}, {"id": 1970}, {"id": 1971}, {"id": 1972}, {"id": 1973}, {"id": 1974}, {"id": 1975}, {"id": 1976}, {"id": 1977}, {"id": 1978}, {"id": 1979}, {"id": 1980}, {"id": 1981}, {"id": 1982}, {"id": 1983}, {"id": 1984}, {"id": 1985}, {"id": 1986}, {"id": 1987}, {"id": 1988}, {"id": 1989}, {"id": 1990}, {"id": 1991}, {"id": 1992}, {"id": 1993}, {"id": 1994}, {"id": 1995}, {"id": 1996}, {"id": 1997}, {"id": 1998}, {"id": 1999}, {"id": 2000}, {"id": 2001}, {"id": 2002}, {"id": 2003}, {"id": 2004}, {"id": 2005}, {"id": 2006}, {"id": 2007}, {"id": 2008}, {"id": 2009}, {"id": 2010}, {"id": 2011}, {"id": 2012}, {"id": 2013}, {"id": 2014}, {"id": 2015}, {"id": 2016}, {"id": 2017}, {"id": 2018}, {"id": 2019}, {"id": 2020}, {"id": 2021}, {"id": 2022}, {"id": 2023}]}, "entities": {"values": [{"id": 355, "name": "World", "code": "OWID_WRL"}]}}, "origins": [{"id": 7010, "title": "Spread of Nuclear Weapons", "description": "This dataset provides information on nuclear weapons states.\n\nMore details can be found in [the original document by Bleek (2017)](https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/pantheon_files/files/publication/When%20Did%20%28and%20Didn%27t%29%20States%20Proliferate%3F_1.pdf).", "producer": "Bleek", "citationFull": "Philipp C. Bleek, \"When Did (and Didn't) States Proliferate? Chronicling the Spread of Nuclear Weapons\", Discussion Paper (Cambridge, MA: Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey, CA., June 2017).", "attributionShort": "Bleek", "urlMain": "https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/when-did-and-didnt-states-proliferate", "urlDownload": "https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/pantheon_files/files/publication/When%20Did%20%28and%20Didn%27t%29%20States%20Proliferate%3F_1.pdf", "dateAccessed": "2024-01-11", "datePublished": "2017-06-13", "license": {"url": "https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/pantheon_files/files/publication/When%20Did%20%28and%20Didn%27t%29%20States%20Proliferate%3F_1.pdf", "name": "Copyright 2017, President and Fellows of Harvard College"}}, {"id": 346, "title": "Nuclear Threat Initiative Overview", "description": "Overviews of national nuclear, chemical, biological, and missile programs and nonproliferation efforts.", "producer": "Nuclear Threat Initiative", "citationFull": "Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) - Overview (2024).\n\nMaterial prepared for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.", "attributionShort": "NTI", "urlMain": "https://www.nti.org/countries/", "dateAccessed": "2024-01-11", "datePublished": "2024-01-11", "license": {"name": "CC BY 4.0"}}]}