A GLOBAL ATLAS. A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.
Nuclear power,
in perspective.
One of the safest ways to make electricity is already part of our world. See the reactors. Explore the evidence.
BIG PERSPECTIVE.
Estimated deaths per unit of nuclear electricity, including major accidents.
Put that number in context Historical estimate · Our World in Data ↗01 / THE GLOBAL ATLAS
A world of nuclear.
On the grid. In the lab. Out at sea.
Explore the different ways we use the atom.
Browse the atlas
Dated source records, not live reactor telemetry.
How to read this mapA reactor is not always a power plant. Some make electricity. Others produce medical isotopes, enable research, or power a ship. The views use different sources and dates; their counts should not be added into a precise worldwide total.
02 / THE SAFETY RECORD
Big energy.
Small risk.
Every energy source has risks. Comparing them by the electricity they produce puts those risks in perspective.
Nuclear, wind and solar have substantially lower estimated death rates than fossil fuels. Nuclear’s record includes the major accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima.
lower estimated death rate
than coal, per unit of electricity¹
¹ Approximate ratio of the displayed historical estimates.
Same electricity. Different impact.
Estimated deaths per terawatt-hour (TWh)
Historical estimates of air pollution and accidents. Methods and time periods differ. Small differences between nuclear, wind and solar are uncertain.
03 / BEYOND THE POWER PLANT
Small reactors.
Decades of experience.
Compact nuclear reactors are already at work at sea. Their history gives us experience to learn from, while new commercial designs still need their own safety case.
One remarkable ship.
U.S. Nimitz- and Ford-class carriers each use two nuclear reactors.Source: U.S. Navy ↗
04 / THE QUESTIONS THAT MATTER
A strong case
welcomes questions.
Confidence comes from understanding the risks and the record.
What about Chernobyl and Fukushima?
These accidents had serious health, social and environmental consequences. Chernobyl caused acute radiation deaths and increased thyroid cancer among people exposed as children. Fukushima’s evacuation and disruption also caused substantial harm.
The comparison above includes estimates for both accidents, including Fukushima evacuation-related deaths. It does not imply that accidents are impossible or that their effects can be reduced to one number.
UNSCEAR: Chernobyl ↗UNSCEAR: Fukushima ↗WHO: health & evacuation ↗
What happens to the radioactive waste?
Used nuclear fuel remains hazardous and requires secure management. It is initially cooled in water pools and can later be stored in shielded dry casks. Long-term disposal requires engineered facilities and a funded disposal plan.
A low historical death rate does not remove the responsibility to fund and manage waste, decommissioning and environmental protection.
Does “operating” mean running right now?
No. These are dated inventories, not live instruments. Operating status can include outages, maintenance and other periods without generation. Research reactors often run intermittently. Ships can be in service while undergoing maintenance or refueling.
Use the date and status in each view. Naval country markers indicate the operator, not the ship’s current location. See the source notes below for the scope of each layer.
Are naval reactors the same as commercial SMRs?
Naval propulsion demonstrates decades of experience with compact reactors, but it does not automatically validate a commercial small modular reactor (SMR). Fuel, design, oversight, crews and operating conditions differ.
Each commercial design needs its own licensing and evidence. The electricity safety figures above should not be applied to naval or research reactors.
05 / OPEN SOURCES. CLEAR LIMITS.
The evidence behind the atlas.
The aim is a comprehensive, understandable atlas. Public records have gaps and different definitions. We show the scope of each layer instead of presenting an exact census of every reactor on Earth.
Power reactors
IAEA PRIS operating status, with geographic coordinates from Global Energy Monitor. Power-reactor units are grouped at shared sites. An operating designation is not a live generation measurement.
Research reactors
The research layer uses public source records. Its own labels describe whether markers show a facility or a country-level total. Research inventories can include critical and subcritical assemblies.
The safety comparison
Our World in Data’s historical estimates combine air-pollution and accident research. Fossil-fuel figures largely reflect older European studies; nuclear includes estimated Chernobyl and Fukushima deaths. Time windows and uncertainty differ. These are not plant-specific forecasts and do not measure every social or environmental harm.
Sources and dates travel with every dataset. Map boundaries: Natural Earth, via world-atlas. Boundaries do not imply endorsement of territorial claims.