The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says global nuclear power capacity could more than triple to 1,284 gigawatts (GW) by 2060 as countries seek to meet rising electricity demand and strengthen energy security.
The projection, contained in the agency’s latest annual report, represents about 3.4 times the 377.1 GW of nuclear generating capacity recorded at the end of 2025.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the expansion would require increased investment in new nuclear plants as well as extending the operating lives of existing reactors.
“The IAEA projections show the increasing role of nuclear power in meeting the world’s growing electricity needs. To realize this potential, investment in new nuclear capacity and reactor lifetime extensions will be essential,” Grossi said.
The agency has raised its nuclear growth forecast for the sixth consecutive year, with its latest outlook extending projections to 2060.
Under its high-growth scenario, global nuclear capacity is expected to reach 1,045 GW by 2050 before rising to 1,284 GW by 2060. The low-growth scenario projects capacity of 696 GW by 2060, still nearly twice the 2025 level.
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are expected to play an increasingly important role in the expansion. The IAEA projects that they could account for 28% of all new nuclear capacity added by 2060 in its high-growth scenario, and 23% in the low case.
North America is expected to see particularly strong uptake, with about 60% of new nuclear capacity potentially coming from SMRs.
The agency also projects SMRs could account for about 40% of new capacity in South-Eastern Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.
The IAEA warned that expansion will also have to compensate for ageing reactors.
Two out of every three nuclear reactors have been operating for more than 30 years, while 45% have been in service for more than 40 years.
In the high-growth scenario, about one-third of the nuclear capacity operating in 2025 would retire by 2060, rising to almost two-thirds in the low case.
Some replacement is already under way. Seven reactors with a combined capacity of 2.8 GW were retired in 2025, while three new reactors totalling 3 GW were connected to the grid.
Construction also began on 12 reactors expected to add 14.3 GW of capacity.
Nuclear electricity generation rose by 1.1% in 2025 to 2,689.1 terawatt-hours, but global electricity generation grew faster at 2.7%, reducing nuclear’s share from 8.7% to 8.4%.
Central and Eastern Asia is expected to account for the largest share of future nuclear additions, with capacity projected to rise from 114 GW in 2025 to 407 GW by 2060 in the high case.