From the 1960s to the end of the 1980s, the Soviet Union and the United States in particular pursued the notion of “Peaceful Nuclear Explosions” (PNE's) for economic reasons, with mixed results. Of the nearly 2,050 nuclear explosions detonated in the world between 1945 and 1996, over 150 or approximately 7 % were for peaceful purposes. PNE's are qualitatively no different from weapons tests in terms of their adverse effects on health and the environment. Also the explosive device itself has the same technical characteristics.

In a nutshell:

•The Soviet Union carried out the most extensive PNE programme. Out of its total of 715 nuclear explosions, as many as 124, or 17 %, were conducted for peaceful purposes. PNE’s were conducted between 1965 and 1988: 80 in Russia, 39 in Kazakhstan, and five altogether in Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

•The United States carried out 27 PNE's between 1961 and 1973: four altogether in Colorado and New Mexico, and 23 at the National Test Site in Nevada.

•Other countries, such as China, France, and the United Kingdom have not to public knowledge conducted PNE’s. China, however, initially proposed that PNE’s would be permitted under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty , before dropping this point during the final stages of the Treaty negotiations in 1996. India claims its first nuclear test in 1974 was for peaceful purposes.