Plutonium and Highly Enriched Uranium Inventories, 2015

The latest open source comprehensive national estimates of the amounts of plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU) are presented. These estimates cover inventories in both civil and military programs. Plutonium and HEU are categorized by country, quantity, origin, and use (military or civil). Understanding the size, status, and production of these materials is essential to preserving international security and reducing the risk of nuclear war, proliferation, and terrorism. The 2015 collection of studies is summarized including an overview of comprehensive national estimates of plutonium and HEU stocks as of the end of 2014, the latest year for which there is sufficient data to calculate estimates. The presentation includes national civil stocks of HEU and plutonium, military inventories of plutonium and HEU in Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States, and the stocks in India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. South Africa’s civil HEU stock, which was originally produced as part of a nuclear weapons program and remains large, is also discussed.