Global electricity · 2025
What percentage of the world’s electricity comes from fossil fuels?
In 2025, fossil fuels generated 56.7% of the world’s electricity. Coal alone supplied 32.6%, natural gas 21.9%, and oil 2.2%.
The other 42.2% came from low-carbon sources: nuclear, hydro, wind, solar and other renewables. This page is about electricity, which has a much lower fossil share than the world’s total energy mix (86.2% fossil).
Source: Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy 2025 data. Site updated August 13, 2026.
World electricity mix, 2025
Share of generation by source
Key facts
| Fossil share of electricity | 56.7% |
| · Coal | 32.6% |
| · Natural gas | 21.9% |
| · Oil | 2.2% |
| Low-carbon share | 42.2% |
| · Nuclear | 8.8% |
| · Hydro | 13.9% |
| · Wind, solar & other | 19.5% |
| Total generation | 32.2 thousand TWh |
The fossil share of power is slipping
The fossil-fuel share of the world’s electricity has edged down as wind, solar and nuclear grow, but coal and gas still generate the majority of global power. The power sector shifts faster than total energy because electricity is the easiest sector to switch to low-carbon sources.
Fossil vs. low-carbon share of world electricity, 1985–2025
Percent of total generation
Why does electricity have a lower fossil share than total energy?
Electricity is only about a fifth of final energy use, and it is where nuclear, hydro, wind and solar are concentrated. The sectors that are hardest to switch, transport (mostly oil), industrial heat and building heating (gas and coal), sit outside the power grid. That is why the world’s electricity is 56.7% fossil while its total energy is 86.2% fossil.
Fossil share of electricity by country
Share of each country’s electricity generated from coal, gas and oil in 2025. Click a column to sort; sort ascending to find the lowest-carbon grids.
| Country | Fossil % | Coal % | Gas % | Nuclear % | Hydro % | Wind/solar % | Low-carbon % | TWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 95.8 | 0.0 | 63.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 471 |
| Iran | 94.8 | 0.2 | 73.3 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 5.2 | 399 |
| Egypt | 85.9 | 0.0 | 76.1 | 0.0 | 6.1 | 7.9 | 14.1 | 242 |
| Kazakhstan | 85.8 | 58.3 | 27.1 | 0.0 | 8.4 | 5.8 | 14.2 | 124 |
| Taiwan | 84.7 | 35.4 | 47.8 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 10.5 | 13.5 | 289 |
| Indonesia | 80.7 | 61.0 | 17.6 | 0.0 | 8.3 | 10.5 | 18.8 | 383 |
| South Africa | 79.6 | 78.8 | 0.0 | 4.6 | 0.8 | 13.0 | 18.5 | 231 |
| Malaysia | 79.3 | 44.9 | 33.4 | 0.0 | 16.4 | 4.0 | 20.4 | 210 |
| Thailand | 78.3 | 16.7 | 61.5 | 0.0 | 3.9 | 17.8 | 21.7 | 200 |
| Mexico | 75.8 | 3.3 | 70.0 | 2.6 | 7.5 | 14.1 | 24.2 | 390 |
| India | 74.1 | 71.2 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 8.7 | 14.5 | 25.8 | 2055 |
| United Arab Emirates | 68.0 | 0.0 | 68.0 | 21.2 | 0.0 | 10.4 | 31.6 | 184 |
| Poland | 66.7 | 51.1 | 14.3 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 31.4 | 32.2 | 179 |
| Russia | 63.9 | 17.7 | 45.6 | 18.3 | 16.7 | 0.6 | 35.7 | 1194 |
| Japan | 61.5 | 29.2 | 30.1 | 9.2 | 7.2 | 16.7 | 33.0 | 1027 |
| Australia | 59.9 | 42.9 | 15.5 | 0.0 | 4.4 | 35.4 | 39.8 | 286 |
| South Korea | 59.4 | 30.7 | 27.7 | 29.4 | 0.6 | 9.8 | 39.9 | 628 |
| Argentina | 58.8 | 0.9 | 56.0 | 7.0 | 16.3 | 17.5 | 40.9 | 153 |
| United States | 58.0 | 16.9 | 40.7 | 17.3 | 5.1 | 19.4 | 41.9 | 4772 |
| China | 57.7 | 54.4 | 3.2 | 4.6 | 13.2 | 23.1 | 40.8 | 10575 |
| Turkiye | 55.9 | 33.0 | 22.6 | 0.0 | 15.6 | 28.3 | 43.8 | 369 |
| Vietnam | 53.8 | 47.8 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 30.9 | 15.1 | 46.0 | 329 |
| Italy | 50.0 | 1.5 | 47.7 | 0.0 | 15.0 | 33.8 | 48.8 | 276 |
| Netherlands | 47.0 | 9.3 | 36.6 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 48.7 | 51.7 | 135 |
| Germany | 38.3 | 20.4 | 17.0 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 53.8 | 57.2 | 508 |
| United Kingdom | 32.0 | 0.0 | 31.5 | 12.3 | 1.8 | 50.7 | 64.8 | 291 |
| Spain | 24.9 | 0.6 | 20.9 | 18.0 | 11.2 | 43.4 | 72.5 | 302 |
| Ukraine | 24.8 | 14.4 | 9.6 | 54.8 | 10.9 | 7.7 | 73.4 | 99 |
| Canada | 23.4 | 2.6 | 19.6 | 12.8 | 52.8 | 10.8 | 76.5 | 660 |
| Brazil | 10.7 | 2.0 | 7.8 | 2.1 | 52.1 | 34.8 | 88.9 | 764 |
| France | 3.5 | 0.1 | 3.0 | 68.2 | 10.1 | 16.2 | 94.5 | 572 |
Showing 31 countries. “Wind/solar” includes other non-hydro renewables. Low-carbon = nuclear + hydro + renewables.
Fossil share of electricity by region
| Region | Fossil % | Coal % | Gas % | Nuclear % | Hydro % | Wind/solar % | Low-carbon % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 55.3 | 14.3 | 40.3 | 15.8 | 10.7 | 18.1 | 44.6 |
| S. & Cent. America | 24.6 | 3.3 | 16.5 | 1.7 | 48.1 | 25.4 | 75.2 |
| Europe | 29.6 | 11.4 | 17.1 | 19.2 | 15.6 | 33.3 | 68.1 |
| CIS | 66.0 | 18.8 | 46.6 | 15.2 | 16.5 | 1.9 | 33.7 |
| Middle East | 91.4 | 0.8 | 67.2 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 4.8 | 8.5 |
| Africa | 71.0 | 22.7 | 40.8 | 1.1 | 19.0 | 8.4 | 28.5 |
| Asia Pacific | 61.5 | 51.6 | 9.3 | 5.0 | 12.2 | 19.9 | 37.1 |
| OECD | 47.5 | 15.8 | 30.7 | 16.0 | 11.8 | 23.3 | 51.2 |
| Non-OECD | 62.0 | 42.3 | 16.8 | 4.7 | 15.1 | 17.3 | 37.1 |
| EU | 27.9 | 9.6 | 17.0 | 22.8 | 11.2 | 35.6 | 69.7 |
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of the world's electricity comes from fossil fuels?
In 2025, fossil fuels generated about 56.7% of global electricity: coal 32.6%, natural gas 21.9% and oil 2.2%.
What percentage of electricity is low-carbon?
About 42.2% of world electricity came from low-carbon sources in 2025: nuclear 8.8%, hydro 13.9%, and wind, solar and other renewables 19.5%.
Why is electricity less fossil-dependent than total energy?
Electricity is only about a fifth of final energy use and is where low-carbon sources concentrate, so it is 56.7% fossil, below the 86.2% fossil share of total energy, which also includes transport, heating and industry.
Is coal still the biggest source of electricity?
Yes. Coal remained the single largest source of world electricity in 2025 at 32.6%, ahead of natural gas at 21.9%.
Which countries have the lowest-carbon electricity?
Countries with large hydro or nuclear fleets, such as Iceland, Norway, France and Sweden, have the lowest fossil share of electricity. Sort the table above ascending by fossil share to see them.
Related pages
Source: Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy, 2025 data. See methodology.