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Nuclear power by country

Nuclear power by country is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nuclear power by country rather than just read about it. In short: Nuclear power plants operate in 31 countries and generate about a tenth of the world's electricity. Most are in Europe, North America and East Asia.

Nuclear power by country — main illustration
Nuclear power by country — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Nuclear power by country belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Nuclear power by country to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Nuclear power by country from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Nuclear power plants operate in 31 countries and generate about a tenth of the world's electricity. Most are in Europe, North America and East Asia. The United States is the largest producer of nuclear power, while France has the largest share of electricity generated by nuclear power, at about 65%. Some countries operated nuclear reactors in the past but currently have no operating nuclear power plants. Among them, Italy closed all of its nuclear stations by 1990 and nuclear power has since been discontinued because of the 1987 referendums. Lithuania closed its RBMK reactor type nuclear station in 2009 for safety reasons. Kazakhstan phased out nuclear power in June 1999 but is planning to reintroduce it possibly by 2035 under referendum. Germany operated nuclear plants since 1960 until the completion of its phaseout policy in 2023. Taiwan completed its phaseout policy in 2025. Austria (Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant) and the Philippines (Bataan Nuclear Power Plant) both built a nuclear plant but never put it in use. Sweden and Belgium originally had phase-out policies however they have now moved away from their original plans. The Philippines relaunched their nuclear programme on February 28, 2022, and may try to operate the 1984 mothballed Bataan Plant. As of 2020, Poland was in advanced planning phase for 1.5 GW and planned to have up to 9 GW by 2040. Hong Kong has no nuclear power plants within its boundary, but imports 80% of the electricity generated from Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station located across the border, in which the power company of the territory holds stake. In 2021, Iraq declared it was planning to build 8 nuclear reactors by 2030 to supply up to 25% electric power in a grid that was suffering from shortages.

Overview

Of the 31 countries in which nuclear power plants operate, only France, Slovakia, Belgium and Ukraine use them as the source for a majority of the country's electricity supply as of 2026. Other countries have significant amounts of nuclear power generation capacity. By far the largest nuclear electricity producers are the United States with 781,945 GWh of nuclear electricity in 2026, followed by China with 467,019 GWh. As of August 2026, 427 reactors with a net capacity of 376,261 MWe were operational, and 72 reactors with net capacity of 66,190 MWe were under construction. Of the reactors under construction, 37 reactors with 38,578 MWe were in China.

See also List of commercial nuclear reactors List of countries by uranium reserves List of nuclear power accidents by country List of nuclear power stations Nuclear energy policy by country World Nuclear Industry Status Report

Notes

References

External links World Nuclear Generation and Capacity

Illustrations

Nuclear power by country: Timeline of commissioned and decommissioned nuclear capacity since the 1950s.[1] Positive numbers show the commissioned capacity for each year; negative numbers show the decommissioned capacity for each year.
Timeline of commissioned and decommissioned nuclear capacity since the 1950s.[1] Positive numbers show the commissioned capacity for each year; negative numbers show the decommissioned capacity for each year.
Nuclear power by country: Global status of nuclear deployment as of May 2025 .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}  Operating reactors, building new reactors   Operating reactors, planning new build   No reactors, building new reactors   No reactors, planning new build  Operating reactors, stable   Operating but may phase-out   Civil nuclear power illegal   No reactors
Global status of nuclear deployment as of May 2025 .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}  Operating reactors, building new reactors   Operating reactors, planning new build   No reactors, building new reactors   No reactors, planning new build  Operating reactors, stable   Operating but may phase-out   Civil nuclear power illegal   No reactors
Nuclear power by country: Nuclear power plants in Europe (including decommissioned nuclear power plants)[clarification needed]
Nuclear power plants in Europe (including decommissioned nuclear power plants)[clarification needed]

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nuclear power by country

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nuclear power by country claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nuclear power by country before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nuclear power by country ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nuclear power by country

In research
Nuclear power by country appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Nuclear power by country in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Nuclear power by country is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Nuclear power by country, Nuclear technology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Nuclear power by country outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Nuclear power by country in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Nuclear power by country means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Nuclear power by country out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nuclear power by country in simple terms?

Nuclear power plants operate in 31 countries and generate about a tenth of the world's electricity. Most are in Europe, North America and East Asia.

Why does Nuclear power by country matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nuclear power by country?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nuclear power by country.

Tags

  • Nuclear power by country
  • Nuclear technology

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