Nuclear power by country
Nuclear power plants operate in just 31 countries today, yet together they generate about a tenth of all the electricity used on Earth. Most of that output comes from reactors clustered in Europe, North America, and East Asia. The United States produces more nuclear electricity than any other nation. France draws a far larger share of its own power from the atom, close to 65 percent. Why would one country lean so heavily on nuclear power while dozens of others never adopt it at all? And why have some nations that once built reactors shut them down, only to reconsider that decision now? This is a chapter of the atomic age still being written country by country.
Only four of the nuclear countries lean on the atom for most of their electricity: France, Slovakia, Belgium, and Ukraine, as of 2024. Everywhere else, nuclear power supplies a smaller slice of a much larger mix. In 2024 alone, American reactors generated 781,945 gigawatt-hours of electricity, more than any other country produced. China followed at 417,518 gigawatt-hours. By October 2025, the world had 416 operational reactors with a combined net capacity of 376,261 megawatts-electric. Another 63 reactors were under construction, adding 66,190 megawatts-electric once finished. Of those reactors being built, 29 were in China alone, worth 30,847 megawatts-electric, while India was building 6 more, totaling 4,768 megawatts-electric. Not every country running reactors today has stayed the course, and several have shut their nuclear programs down entirely.
Italy shut down every one of its nuclear stations by 1990, a retreat set in motion by referendums held in 1987. Lithuania followed in 2009, closing its RBMK-type reactor station specifically for safety reasons. Kazakhstan phased out nuclear power entirely in June 1999, but it is now weighing a return, possibly by 2035, pending a referendum. Germany operated nuclear plants from 1960 until completing its phaseout policy in 2023. Taiwan completed its own phaseout policy in 2025. Not every reactor built even made it that far; some were finished but never switched on.
Austria completed its Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant but never activated it. The Philippines built its own Bataan Nuclear Power Plant and left it idle as well. The Philippines relaunched its nuclear programme on the 28th of February 2022. It may now try to operate the Bataan plant, which has sat mothballed since 1984. Not every government that once ruled out nuclear power is standing by that decision today.
Sweden and Belgium once committed to phasing out nuclear power entirely, but both countries have since moved away from those original plans.
Poland was, as of 2020, in an advanced planning phase for 1.5 gigawatts of nuclear capacity. Its ambitions stretched to as much as 9 gigawatts by 2040.
Hong Kong has no nuclear power plant inside its own borders. Yet it imports 80 percent of its electricity from the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station, just across the border. The territory's own power company holds a stake in that plant.
Iraq declared in 2021 that it planned to build 8 nuclear reactors by 2030. The goal was to supply as much as 25 percent of a power grid that had been suffering from shortages. Whether that ambition succeeds depends on reactors that, as of the 2021 announcement, existed only as a plan on paper.
Common questions
Which country produces the most nuclear power?
The United States is the largest producer of nuclear power overall, generating 781,945 gigawatt-hours in 2024. China followed as the second-largest producer, at 417,518 gigawatt-hours.
Which country gets the largest share of its electricity from nuclear power?
France has the largest share of electricity generated by nuclear power, at about 65 percent. As of 2024, France, Slovakia, Belgium and Ukraine were the only countries using nuclear power as the majority source of their electricity.
How many countries operate nuclear power plants?
Nuclear power plants operate in 31 countries, generating about a tenth of the world's electricity. Most of that generation comes from reactors in Europe, North America and East Asia.
Which countries have phased out nuclear power?
Italy closed all of its nuclear stations by 1990 after 1987 referendums, and Lithuania closed its RBMK reactor station in 2009 for safety reasons. Kazakhstan phased out nuclear power in June 1999, Germany completed its phaseout in 2023, and Taiwan completed its phaseout in 2025.
Which countries built nuclear power plants but never used them?
Austria built the Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant and the Philippines built the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, but neither country ever put its plant into operation. The Philippines relaunched its nuclear programme on the 28th of February 2022 and may try to operate the Bataan plant, mothballed since 1984.
Which countries are planning to expand nuclear power?
Poland was, as of 2020, in an advanced planning phase for 1.5 gigawatts of nuclear capacity, with ambitions to reach up to 9 gigawatts by 2040. Iraq declared in 2021 that it planned to build 8 nuclear reactors by 2030 to supply up to 25 percent of its electric power.
All sources
14 references cited across the entry
- 1Operational & Long-Term Shutdown ReactorsIAEA — 13 April 2013
- 4Kazakhstan chooses site for second NPP2022-08-09
- 7Construction of Poland's first nuclear power plant to begin in 2026Maria Wilczek — 2020-06-16
- 9NewsCLP to increase nuclear power imports 10pc7 February 2014
- 10Iraq hopes to build 8 nuclear power reactors by 203015 June 2021
- 13Pakistan’s Oldest Nuclear Reactor KANUPP-1...Ihédate — 2021-10-22
- 14Pakistan Inaugurates Third Reactor at Karachi Nuclear PlantDarrell Proctor — 2023-02-03