Currently only six countries worldwide are considered to have the capability necessary to export nuclear power plants, each with unique advantages: Korea, the United States, Japan, Russia, China, and France. Despite abundant reports documenting successful plant exportation, it is difficult to obtain official accounts that reveal the main factors that lead to successful export due to the secretive nature of nuclear power plant contracts. This study developed a model comparing the competitiveness between nuclear power plant supplier countries. The model 1) categorizes and classifies various criteria for nuclear power plant export and 2) assigns weighted values on each criterion based on an AHP analysis to 3) compare the competitiveness of the export-capable countries based on the developed framework. The analysis showed that China has the highest competitiveness followed by Russia, Korea, the United States, Japan, and France, in decreasing order. In this context, it is imperative for Korea to construct consumer oriented export packages and target countries with strong leadership, countries that disregard the nuclear fuel cycle, countries that require fast nuclear power plant adoption, or countries that are pro-American. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.