Nuclear power supplied 2,670.3 TWh of electricity worldwide in 2024, while 417 reactors operated across 31 Member States. The figures below distinguish operational capacity, installed capacity, construction, electricity output, reactor performance and non-electric applications because these measures are not interchangeable.
Key Nuclear Energy Statistics
The most broadly useful nuclear energy statistics include:
- 417 reactors operated across 31 Member States at the end of 2024, representing 377.0 GW(e) of operational net electrical capacity worldwide.
- Nuclear reactors generated 2,670.3 TWh in 2024, equal to 8.7% of global electricity production.
- 62 reactors totaling 64.4 GW(e) were under construction at the end of 2024 worldwide.
- Nuclear electricity production increased 2.8% from 2023 to 2024, reaching about 2,670 TWh globally.
- 72.5 GW(e) across 72 reactors connected to the grid during 2014–2024, with Asia accounting for 54.3 GW(e), or 76%.
- China added 39.0 GW(e) across 38 reactors connected to the grid during 2014–2024, the largest national contribution in that period.
- The United States operated 94 reactors and generated 781.9 TWh in 2024, equal to 17.2% of its electricity.
- France generated 364.4 TWh from 57 reactors in 2024, with nuclear providing 64.1% of national electricity.
- China generated 417.5 TWh from 57 reactors in 2024, while nuclear supplied 4.1% of its electricity.
- Nine nuclear reactor construction starts occurred globally in 2024, 50% more than in 2023.
- Six reactors totaling 6.8 GW(e) connected to the grid in 2024, while four reactors totaling 2.9 GW(e) retired.
- The global median reactor load factor was 86.4% in 2024, while the top-performing quartile averaged 93.7%.
- About 67% of global operational reactor capacity had operated for more than 30 years in 2024, covering 264.3 GW(e) across 298 reactors.
- Forty-six reactors across 10 Member States supplied 2,644.1 GWh of electrical-equivalent heat in 2024 for non-electric applications.
- District heating accounted for 94% of reported non-electric nuclear heat in 2024, totaling 2,487.4 GWh electrical equivalent.
- U.S. nuclear plants generated nearly 782 billion kWh in 2024, an amount the Department of Energy compares with electricity for more than 72 million homes.
Contents
- Key Nuclear Energy Statistics
- Global nuclear energy scale: reactors, capacity and output
- Nuclear power by country and electricity share
- Nuclear energy growth, construction and retirements
- Reactor performance, age and operating experience
- Non-electric nuclear energy: heat, industry and desalination
- U.S. nuclear energy statistics: fleet, plants and generation
Global Nuclear Energy Scale: Reactors, Capacity and Output
At the end of 2024, the IAEA counted 417 operational nuclear power reactors across 31 Member States, with 377.0 GW(e) of operational net electrical capacity. A further 62 reactors totaling 64.4 GW(e) were under construction, while 23 reactors totaling 19.7 GW(e) were in suspended operation.
The IAEA reported 2,670.3 TWh of nuclear electricity generation in 2024, or 8.7% of global electricity production. Its table notes that Ukrainian operational data were unavailable and that missing country data may include Secretariat estimates. IAEA, Nuclear Power Development in 2024.
| Global measure | Value | Period and definition |
|---|---|---|
| Operational reactors | 417 | End of 2024; 31 Member States |
| Operational net capacity | 377.0 GW(e) | End of 2024 |
| Nuclear electricity | 2,670.3 TWh | 2024; 8.7% of global electricity |
| Reactors under construction | 62 | End of 2024; 64.4 GW(e) |
| Suspended reactors | 23 | End of 2024; 19.7 GW(e) |
Global nuclear electricity production rose 2.8% from 2023 to 2,670 TWh in 2024. In the IAEA reported series, production rose 5.3% from 2,486.6 TWh in 2022 to 2,617.3 TWh in 2024; Ukrainian reactor data were not submitted for 2022–2024 in that trend.
Operational capacity ranged from 353.9 GW(e) in 2014 to 377.0 GW(e) in 2024. Over the decade, 72.5 GW(e) across 72 reactors connected to the grid, and Asia supplied 54.3 GW(e), or 76%, of that connected capacity. IAEA, Nuclear Power Reactors in the World, 2025 Edition.
Nuclear Power by Country and Electricity Share
Country comparisons combine fleet size, net capacity, electricity production and the share of national electricity. These values describe 2024 national electricity systems and should not be interpreted as a ranking by a single measure.
| Country | Operating reactors | Net capacity | Nuclear output and electricity share, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 94 | 96,952 MW(e) | 781.9 TWh; 17.2% |
| France | 57 | 63,000 MW(e) | 364.4 TWh; 64.1% |
| China | 57 | 55,320 MW(e) | 417.5 TWh; 4.1% |
| Russian Federation | 36 | 26,802 MW(e) | 202.1 TWh; 17.1% |
| Republic of Korea | 26 | 25,609 MW(e) | 179.4 TWh; 29.2% |
| Canada | 17 | 12,714 MW(e) | 81.2 TWh; 13.2% |
| Japan | 14 | 12,631 MW(e) | 84.9 TWh; 8.4% |
| Sweden | 6 | 7,008 MW(e) | 48.7 TWh; 28.2% |
| Spain | 7 | 7,123 MW(e) | 52.1 TWh; 18.3% |
| United Arab Emirates | 4 | 5,348 MW(e) | 36.5 TWh; 20.4% |
The IAEA country table reports these reactor, capacity, generation and share values. Japan also had reactors in suspended operation, so its operating count does not describe every reactor associated with the national fleet. IAEA, Nuclear Power Development in 2024.
Nuclear Energy Growth, Construction and Retirements
The IEA reported that more than 7 GW of nuclear capacity came online globally in 2024, 33% more than in 2023. Six large-scale projects were completed, bringing global installed nuclear capacity to 420 GW in the IEA series; two completed projects were in China and one each was in France, India, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Nine reactor construction starts occurred in 2024, 50% more than in 2023. Those starts are expected to add 11 GW when completed, but this is an estimate of future capacity rather than operating capacity, and completion timing is uncertain.
China began construction of six reactors in 2024, all using Chinese designs. Across the five years from 2020 through 2024, all nuclear construction starts used either Chinese or Russian designs. IEA, Global Energy Review 2025: Electricity.
The IAEA recorded six reactors totaling 6.8 GW(e) connecting to the grid in 2024, including five pressurized water reactors and one pressurized heavy water reactor. Four reactors totaling 2.9 GW(e) retired, while two reactors totaling 1.6 GW(e) restarted after suspended operation.
| 2024 event | Reactors | Capacity or status |
|---|---|---|
| Connected to the grid | 6 | 6.8 GW(e) |
| Retired | 4 | 2.9 GW(e) |
| Restarted after suspension | 2 | 1.6 GW(e) |
Reactor Performance, Age and Operating Experience
The global median nuclear reactor load factor was 86.4% in 2024. Load factor is actual output divided by output at reference unit power for a full year, so it measures utilization rather than nameplate capacity; the top quartile of reactors averaged 93.7%.
Over 2015–2024, boiling water reactors had a median load factor of 90.4%, compared with 83.7% for pressurized water reactors. These are technology-group medians over a decade, not a single-year fleet average.
Age is also a defining feature of the operating fleet. In 2024, about 67% of global operational reactor capacity—264.3 GW(e) across 298 reactors—had operated for more than 30 years, while about 35% of global installed nuclear capacity—136.4 GW(e) across 168 reactors—had operated for more than 40 years; the IAEA uses different denominators for those two statements.
By the end of 2024, the industry had accumulated approximately 20,200 reactor-years of operating experience across 653 reactors. Japan restarted two reactors in 2024 after both had been suspended since 2011; a restart does not imply a full year of generation. IAEA, Nuclear Power Reactors in the World, 2025 Edition and IAEA, Nuclear Power Development in 2024.
Non-Electric Nuclear Energy: Heat, Industry and Desalination
Nuclear reactors also supplied reported heat for district heating, industrial applications and desalination. In 2024, 46 reactors across 10 Member States supplied 2,644.1 GWh of electrical-equivalent heat; this unit expresses heat as an electrical equivalent rather than direct thermal energy.
| Application | Reported heat in 2024 | Share of reported non-electric heat |
|---|---|---|
| District heating | 2,487.4 GWh electrical equivalent | 94% |
| Industrial heating | 107.4 GWh electrical equivalent | 4% |
| Desalination | 49.3 GWh electrical equivalent | 2% |
Industrial heating was reported in India and Switzerland, while nuclear desalination was reported in India and Japan. These country counts identify reported users, not the number of facilities or plants.
The 46 reactors supplying reported non-electric heat were equivalent to about 11% of the 417-reactor global operating fleet; this derived percentage describes reported non-electric users, not all possible applications. IAEA, Nuclear Power Reactors in the World, 2025 Edition.
U.S. Nuclear Energy Statistics: Fleet, Plants and Generation
The United States had the world’s largest commercial nuclear fleet in 2024, with 94 reactors and nearly 97 GW of net generating capacity. EIA’s comparison listed France at 57 units and 63.0 GW, China at 57 units and 55.3 GW, and Russia at 36 units and 28.6 GW; EIA uses net generating capacity, while the IAEA country table uses net electrical capacity.
Nuclear power supplied 19% of U.S. power-sector electricity generation in 2024. The fleet comprised 54 nuclear power plants, each with one to four operating units, so the plant count is different from the reactor-unit count.
Plant Vogtle in Georgia was the largest U.S. nuclear plant, with four reactors and about 4.5 GW of total generating capacity. R.E.
Ginna in New York was the smallest, with one 0.6-GW reactor.
U.S. nuclear plants generated nearly 782 billion kWh in 2024, a quantity the Department of Energy compares with electricity for more than 72 million homes; that home-equivalent is a communication comparison, not measured residential consumption by nuclear customers. DOE also states that U.S. reactors have supplied around 20% of the nation’s electricity each year since the 1990s, although annual values vary.
Electricity from the 2.2-GW Diablo Canyon plant represented 9% of California’s total generation in 2024. Plant capacity and statewide generation share are different measures. EIA, The United States operates the world’s largest nuclear power plant fleet and U.S. Department of Energy, 5 Fast Facts About Nuclear Energy.