How global energy production is changing, in 6 charts

By Andrew Prozorovsky  July 20, 2026  pewresearch.org

Link to full article:  https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/07/20/how-global-energ...

Most electricity still comes from burning fossil fuels. But a growing share comes from wind and solar power. Worldwide, 57% of all electricity generated in 2025 came from burning coal, gas or other fossil fuels, down from 65% in 2000.

Solar power has grown especially rapidly in recent years. In 2025, 9% of the world’s electricity came from solar power. That was up from 3% in 2020 and just 0.01% at the turn of the century.

In the European Union and elsewhere, renewables are now the biggest source of electricity. In 2025, nearly half of all electricity in the EU (48%) came from renewables, while 29% came from fossil fuels and 23% came from nuclear power.

In addition to generating far more total electricity than any other country, China leads the world in solar and wind energy production. By total output in 2025, it generated more solar and wind power than the 38 nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development combined. The U.S. led the world in nuclear and natural gas electricity generation that year.

In Africa and North America, natural gas has largely replaced coal as a source of electricity. Gas now far exceeds coal as a source on both continents. That wasn’t the case at the turn of the century.

Total global electricity production has more than doubled since 2000, driven in part by large increases in Asia. The world generated 108% more electricity in 2025 than in 2000.