Planned global nuclear power plant additions 2020, by country

This statistic shows the number of planned nuclear reactors worldwide as of April 2020, by country. There was one nuclear power reactors planned in Iran. The Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is the first nuclear power plant operating here.
Formerly called atomic piles, nuclear reactors are used to start and control a nuclear chain reaction in power plants. The heat from the reaction is transferred to a working fluid which in turn, runs through turbines for both electricity generation and ship propulsion. Nuclear reactors can also be used in the creation of isotopes for medical or industrial purposes, as well as for weapons production. Early efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation began with government secrecy and have since evolved under the International Atomic Energy Agency founded by the United Nations.

Nuclear reactors planned worldwide

As of April 2020, China and Russia have the largest number of planned nuclear reactors, totaling 44 and 24 reactors, respectively. Globally, both countries have a relatively high number of functioning nuclear reactors compared to other nations. In April 2020, the United States reported the highest number of functioning reactors, namely 95, followed by France with 57 reactors. In 2018, almost 72 percent of France’s electricity production was generated by nuclear power.
Nuclear reactor construction was much more widespread in the 1970s and peaked in 1976, when 42 reactors were being built globally. In 2018, there were five nuclear reactor construction starts worldwide. As of 2018, most operating reactors around the world have been running for 33 or 34 years.