CHICAGO, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Israel ceased producing nuclear warheads nine years ago, but the United States and Russia have thousands, the Chicago-based Bulletin of Atomic Scientists said.
A report published in the September/October issue called "Global Nuclear Weapons Inventories 1945-2013" said 97 percent of the 125,000 nuclear warheads built since 1945 were built by the United States, Russia and the Soviet Union.
"The nuclear stockpiles of China, as well as Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea, are minuscule in comparison with the U.S. and Russian arsenals, but more difficult to estimate," the report said.
Between the years 1967 to 2004, Israel produced approximately two or three nuclear warheads a year. The quantity of warheads increased from 15 during the 1973 Yom Kippur War to 35 during the 1982 Lebanon War; 56 in the Iraqi War and 78 in 2003, the report said. The number reached 80 in 2004 when production ceased.
Israel has never confirmed reports concerning its nuclear capabilities.
The United States is believed to be in possession of some 4,650 nuclear warheads while Russia has 4,480 warheads, the report said.
Other countries stockpiles include France with 300; China 250; Britain 225; India 110 nuclear warheads and Pakistan 120, the report said.
