Doomsday Clock: status, meaning and history

01What is the Doomsday Clock?

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists calls the clock a metaphor and a reminder of the perils humanity must address if it is to survive on the planet. It is meant to alert the public to how close humanity is to destroying the world with technologies of its own making.

The clock first appeared on the cover of the magazine in 1947, when the Bulletin changed from a newsletter to a magazine. The setting was then 7 minutes to midnight. The artist Martyl Langsdorf designed it for the June issue, Michael Bierut redesigned it in 2007.

This page describes the clock and reproduces the Bulletin’s statements. It does not assess the setting, states or conflicts. Which wars exist at present is collected on the page Current wars worldwide.

02Who sets the clock?

The clock is set by the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board. It was separated from the Governing Board in 2008, meets twice a year according to the Bulletin, consults experts and the Board of Sponsors and resets the clock when needed. According to the Bulletin, the Board of Sponsors includes eight Nobel laureates.

Before 2008, the editor Eugene Rabinowitch decided on the setting until his death in 1973, and after that the Bulletin’s board. The names of the members of the Science and Security Board are not listed here.

03How many seconds to midnight does the clock show?

Since the announcement of 27.01.2026, the clock stands at 85 seconds to midnight. Before that it was 89 seconds. In its statement the Bulletin writes that this is the smallest distance the clock has ever had (“the closest it has ever been to catastrophe”). This is a statement of the Bulletin.

As its rationale the Bulletin names four areas: nuclear weapons, climate, biological risks and artificial intelligence. On climate it points out that the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has risen to 150 percent of the preindustrial level. On nuclear weapons it speaks of an arms race among major powers and names the expiry of the New START treaty. The table above summarises the four areas.

For the nuclear arsenals of the states as reported in the SIPRI Yearbook, see the page Nuclear weapons worldwide. The states’ military spending is shown on the page Military spending worldwide.

04How has the clock changed since 1947?

The clock started in 1947 at 7 minutes to midnight. In 1949 it stood at 3 minutes, in 1953 at 2 minutes. In 1991 it reached its greatest distance with 17 minutes, then moved closer again: 5 minutes in 2007, 3 minutes in 2015 and 2016, 2 minutes in 2018 and 2019.

From 2020 the Bulletin’s list gives the setting in seconds: 100 seconds in 2020 to 2022, 90 seconds in 2023 and 2024, 89 seconds in 2025 and 85 seconds in 2026. The full list of settings is in the table above, the chart shows a selection.

The Bulletin’s list names only years in which it states a setting. For years without an entry it is not documented here that the setting remained unchanged.