Global Electricity Market: Demand, Generation Mix and Renewables Share

Ember's Global Electricity Review 2026 finds that clean power met all growth in global electricity demand in 2025 [1]. Low-carbon generation rose by 887 TWh while demand grew by 849 TWh [1]. Fossil generation fell by 38 TWh (-0.2%), the first year since 2020 without a rise [1].

The report uses data from 215 countries, including 2025 data for 91 countries representing 93% of global electricity demand [1].

Renewables overtook coal in the global electricity mix in 2025 for the first time in 100 years [1]. Renewables supplied 33.8% (10,730 TWh) and coal 33.0% (10,476 TWh) [1]. Coal generation dropped 63 TWh (-0.6%), its first fall since 2020 [1].

In the first half of 2025, Ember's mid-year analysis already showed renewables at 34.3% of global electricity, against 33.1% for coal [3].

For 2024, the IEA reports renewables supplied 32% of global generation, and renewables plus nuclear reached 40% for the first time [2]. Renewables and nuclear provided 80% of the growth in generation in 2024 [2].

Global electricity demand grew by 4.3% in 2024, well above the 3.2% growth in global GDP, according to the IEA [2]. Consumption rose by nearly 1,100 TWh, more than twice the annual average increase of the past decade [2]. China made up more than half of the increase [2].

The IEA links the rise to cooling demand during extreme temperatures, industrial consumption, the electrification of transport and data centres [2]. Electricity use in buildings accounted for nearly 60% of growth in 2024, and data centre capacity grew by an estimated 20%, or around 15 GW [2].

In 2025 fossil generation fell in both China and India for the first time this century, according to Ember [1]. China's fossil generation fell by 56 TWh (-0.9%), its first decline since 2015 [1]. India's fell by 52 TWh (-3.3%) [1].

Solar and wind reached 22% of China's generation mix in 2025, above the OECD average of 20% [1]. In 2024, the IEA reports solar PV and wind reached 16% of generation in the United States, overtaking coal [2].

• Solar is the main driver: solar generation rose by a record 636 TWh to 2,778 TWh in 2025 and met 75% of net demand growth [1].
• Solar and wind together met 99% of demand growth in 2025 [1].
• Battery storage deployment grew 46% to an estimated 250 GWh in 2025 [1].

2025 figures come from Ember's Global Electricity Review 2026 [1] and its Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2025 [3]. 2024 figures come from the IEA Global Energy Review 2025 key findings [2]. Ember and IEA data are not combined in a single series because methods and coverage differ. Generation and demand are in terawatt-hours (TWh). No FREEE.REPORT calculations are used in this report.