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Archive of Nuclear Data
From NRDC's Nuclear Program

Index of Nuclear Data

Table of Known Nuclear Tests Worldwide: 1945-69 | 1970-96


Year
 United States
 Soviet Union
 United Kingdom
 France
 China
 Total

A
 U
 A
 U
 A
 U
 A
 U
 A
 U

A = atmospheric; U = underground
1945
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1
1946
 2
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 2
1947
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
1948
 3
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 3
1949
 0
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1
1950
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
1951
 15
 1
 2
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 18
1952
 10
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 11
1953
 11
 0
 5
 0
 2
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 18
1954
 6
 0
 10
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 16
1955
 17
 1
 6
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 24
1956
 18
 0
 9
 0
 6
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 33
1957
 27
 5
 16
 0
 7
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 55
1958
 62
 15
 34
 0
 5
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 116
1959
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
1960
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 3
 0
 0
 0
 3
1961
 0
 9/1*
 58
 1
 0
 0
 1
 1
 0
 0
 71
1962
 39
 55/2
 78
 1
 0
 2**
 0
 1
 0
 0
 178
1963
 4
 41/2
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 3
 0
 0
 50
1964
 0
 39/6
 0
 9
 0
 2
 0
 3
 1
 0
 60
1965
 0
 37/1
 0
 14
 0
 1
 0
 4
 1
 0
 58
1966
 0
 44/4
 0
 18
 0
 0
 5/1*
 1
 3
 0
 76
1967
 0
 39/3
 0
 17
 0
 0
 3
 0
 2
 0
 64
1968
 0
 52/4
 0
 17
 0
 0
 5
 0
 1
 0
 79
1969
 0
 45/1
 0
 19
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1
 1
 67


Year
 United States
 Soviet Union
 United Kingdom
 France
 China
 Total

A
 U
 A
 U
 A
 U
 A
 U
 A
 U

A = atmospheric; U = underground
1970
 0
 38/1
 0
 16
 0
 0
 8
 0
 1
 0
 64
1971
 0
 23/1
 0
 23
 0
 0
 5
 0
 1
 0
 53
1972
 0
 27
 0
 24
 0
 0
 3/1
 0
 2
 0
 57
1973
 0
 23/1
 0
 17
 0
 0
 5/1
 0
 1
 0
 48
1974
 0
 22
 0
 21
 0
 1
 7/2
 0
 1
 0
 54
1975
 0
 22
 0
 19
 0
 0
 0
 2
 0
 1
 44
1976
 0
 20
 0
 21
 0
 1
 0
 4/1
 3
 1
 51
1977
 0
 20
 0
 24
 0
 0
 0
 7/2
 1
 0
 54
1978
 0
 19
 0
 31
 0
 2
 0
 10/1
 2
 1
 66
1979
 0
 15
 0
 31
 0
 1
 0
 10
 1
 0
 58
1980
 0
 14
 0
 24
 0
 3
 0
 11/1
 1
 0
 54
1981
 0
 16
 0
 21
 0
 1
 0
 12
 0
 0
 50
1982
 0
 18
 0
 19
 0
 1
 0
 9/1
 0
 1
 49
1983
 0
 18
 0
 25
 0
 1
 0 9
 0
 2
 55
1984
 0
 18
 0
 27
 0
 2
 0
 8
 0
 2
 57
1985
 0
 17
 0
 10
 0
 1
 0
 8
 0
 0
 36
1986
 0
 14
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0
 8
 0
 0
 23
1987
 0
 14
 0
 23
 0
 1
 0
 8
 0
 1
 47
1988
 0
 15
 0
 16
 0
 0
 0
 8
 0
 1
 40
1989
 0
 11
 0
 7
 0
 1
 0
 8/1
 0
 0
 28
1990
 0
 8
 0
 1
 0
 1
 0
 6
 0
 2
 18
1991
 0
 7
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0
 6
 0
 0
 14
1992
 0
 6
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 2
 8
1993
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1
 1
1994
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 2
 2
1995
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 5
 0
 2
 7
1996
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0
 2
 3
Total
 215
 815
 219
 496
 21
 24
 50
 160
 23
 22
 2046#

1030
 715
 45
 210
 45

* Number after / beginning in 1961 in the U.S. column represents PNEs. In the French column number after / represents safety tests.

** All UK underground tests were conducted in the U.S.

# Grand total includes one underground explosion by India conducted on May 18, 1974. No tests by these nations occurred from 1997-2002. For Indian and Pakistani tests see accompanying table.

last revised 11.25.02


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