North Korea vs Russia: Country position on nuclear weapons
North Korea
3
in 2023
Russia
3
in 2023
North Korea rank
1st
Russia rank
1st
Country position on nuclear weapons over time
- North Korea
- Russia
How they compare
North Korea currently reports 3 against 3 in Russia, a difference of 0.
Across all 86 years both countries report, Russia has been ahead every year.
North Korea ranks 1st and Russia ranks 1st of 246 countries.
Russia has averaged higher in every one of the 10 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Russia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1940s | 0 | 1.6 | 1.6 | Russia |
| 1950s | 0 | 3 | 3 | Russia |
| 1960s | 0.8 | 3 | 2.2 | Russia |
| 1970s | 1 | 3 | 2 | Russia |
| 1980s | 2 | 3 | 1 | Russia |
| 1990s | 2 | 3 | 1 | Russia |
| 2000s | 2.4 | 3 | 0.6 | Russia |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2020s | 3 | 3 | 0 | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher country position on nuclear weapons, North Korea or Russia?
- North Korea, at 3 against 3 in Russia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in country position on nuclear weapons between North Korea and Russia?
- 0, with North Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Russia?
- 86 years are reported by both, from 1938 to 2023.
- How do North Korea and Russia rank globally for country position on nuclear weapons?
- North Korea ranks 1st and Russia ranks 1st of 246 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Bleek (2017); Nuclear Threat Initiative (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Country position on nuclear weapons. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Whether a country does not consider (0), considers (1), pursues (2), or possesses (3) nuclear weapons.