Globally, coal-fired power plants produce much more electricity than nuclear plants. In 2024, coal generated 35% of the world’s electricity, while nuclear generated 9%, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). That global comparison is different from asking which of two individual plants produces more: a plant’s output depends on its capacity and how much it operates.
What the global comparison shows
The latest directly quantified global shares in the cited IEA figures are for 2024: coal supplied 35% of electricity generation and nuclear supplied 9%. Those percentages compare each fuel’s contribution to the same worldwide total for the same year.
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The subsequent trend moved in different directions without overturning that comparison. The IEA reported that global nuclear generation reached a record in 2025, increasing 1.2%, while coal-fired generation declined by around 0.5%. Those are year-over-year changes, not a new pair of generation shares; they do not establish that nuclear overtook coal.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWhy an individual plant can have a different answer
For a single plant, “which produces more?” has no universal answer based only on whether it burns coal or uses nuclear fuel. Capacity and actual operating output both matter. A larger plant can produce more electricity even if it operates less consistently, while a smaller plant can produce less despite running at a high rate.
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Capacity is a rate; generation is an amount
Capacity, measured in megawatts (MW), describes the power a generator can produce at a given moment under stated conditions. Generation, measured in megawatt-hours (MWh), is the electricity produced over time. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) explains that a 1 MW generator operating at that capacity for one hour produces 1 MWh. The U.S. Department of Energy likewise emphasizes that capacity is not the same as electricity generation.
Capacity factor shows how much of a plant’s potential output it delivers
Capacity factor compares actual generation over a period with the maximum generation the plant could have produced at full capacity throughout that same period. The EIA describes it as a percentage based on actual output divided by maximum possible output.
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In the United States, nuclear plants typically operate at or near capacity, according to the EIA. Coal plants’ capacity factors have declined in part as natural gas and renewable generation have increased. These U.S. operating patterns help explain why capacity alone can mislead, but they should not be treated as a universal description of every country or plant.
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Our World in Data gives estimates for two differently sized facilities, calculated from their capacities and assumed capacity factors. They illustrate how both inputs affect estimated daily output; they are not a controlled comparison of same-sized plants or evidence that every nuclear station outproduces every coal plant.
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| Facility | Technology and location | Capacity | Assumed capacity factor | Estimated generation per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce | Nuclear, Canada | 6,384 MW | 90% | About 138,000 MWh/day |
| Tiachung | Coal, Taiwan | 5,500 MW | 64% | About 85,000 MWh/day |
The estimates use capacity × 24 hours × capacity factor. For instance, a hypothetical 1,000 MW plant running at an 80% capacity factor would generate an estimated 19,200 MWh in a day (1,000 × 24 × 0.80), if those assumptions held. This calculation is illustrative, not a measured output for a particular facility.
How to make a fair comparison
- For countries or the world: Compare electricity generation by fuel in the same calendar year and geography, using energy units such as terawatt-hours (TWh). Shares are useful when they refer to the same total and period.
- For individual plants: Compare actual generation over the same period. Include capacity and capacity factor as context rather than treating nameplate capacity as output.
- Check gross versus net generation: Gross generation is before subtracting electricity used by the plant itself. Net generation is gross generation minus that on-site use, which can include power for pumps, fuel handling, and pollution-control equipment. Use the same basis when comparing electricity delivered.
What the figures do—and do not—say
The IEA’s 2024 shares answer which fuel generated more electricity worldwide in that year: coal. The 2025 figures describe the direction and rate of change in annual generation, not the relative shares for that year. The plant examples show estimated outputs under stated assumptions, not a technology-wide rule. A high capacity factor alone cannot determine total output: the plant’s capacity and the number of plants in the comparison also matter.
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These comparisons concern electricity generation. They do not compare all forms of energy use, and they do not by themselves establish which technology is more efficient or has a lower environmental impact.
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