The infographic ranks countries by current and future installed nuclear power capacity based on data from the Global Energy Monitor. Today, the United States leads with 102,475 megawatts, ahead of France by more than 35,000 megawatts.
China currently ranks third with 60,898 megawatts, but this will soon change as new units come online.
This shift has serious geopolitical implications. Countries that build nuclear capacity can reduce their dependence on imported fossil resources while strengthening energy security and grid resilience.
If all planned projects are realized, China will come out on top with 185,812 megawatts, followed by the United States with 117,910 megawatts and France with 75,590 megawatts. Russia will take fourth place with 60,800 megawatts.
France remains the historical leader in nuclear power: about 69% of all electricity in the country is generated by nuclear power plants.
The UK was home to the world’s first commercial nuclear power plant, commissioned in 1956, but later reduced its use of nuclear power. Now the government is aiming for a “golden age of the atom”, but even with current plans – totaling 15,394 megawatts – the country would rank only 12th in the world.
Among the 17 countries that currently have no installed nuclear capacity, Uganda is expected to grow the most, to 18,000 megawatts, followed by Poland (15,612 megawatts) and Turkey (14,700 megawatts).
