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The annual number of permanent nuclear reactor shutdowns between 2005 and 2025 has fluctuated. In 2025, there were seven nuclear reactor shutdowns in the world, located in Russia, China, and Belgium.

Nuclear reactor retirement

In general, nuclear power plants have an operating lifetime spanning between 20 and 50 years. Indeed, almost 50 percent of nuclear reactors shutdown worldwide had an age of at least 30 years at the time of closure. Overall, half of cumulative nuclear reactor shutdowns as of February 2026 were concentrated in only three countries, namely the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. 

Nuclear energy policy

The nuclear disaster of the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan in March 2011 led many countries worldwide to accelerate plans for nuclear power plant shutdowns. However, while Germany exited nuclear energy in April 2023, other countries turned back to nuclear energy during the energy crisis of 2022. The global number of nuclear reactors under construction as of February 2026 was 74.