Global energy demand changes in 2025
In 2025, global energy demand grew by 1.3%, but the structure of the system is changing. Electricity and renewables are driving growth, while emissions continue to rise, reaching a new record.
The International Energy Agency’s Global Energy Review 2026 outlines a system in transition, with slower overall demand growth, accelerating electrification, expanding clean technologies, and a continued central role for fossil fuels.
Total energy demand reached 655 exajoules (EJ), while electricity demand increased by around 800 TWh (+3%), more than double the pace of total energy growth. Low-emission sources accounted for nearly 60% of demand growth, yet emissions climbed to 38.4 billion tons of CO2.
This represents an absolute increase of about 8 EJ compared to 2024. At the same time, global GDP grew by 3.1%, slightly below 2024 levels, while energy intensity improved by around 2%, a notable acceleration compared to the 1.3% average recorded between 2019 and 2024.
Solar leads the growth of global energy demand for the first time
In 2025, renewables reached a historic milestone in global energy demand. Solar photovoltaic alone accounted for over 27% of demand growth, becoming the leading contributor for the first time.
It was followed by natural gas at 17% and oil at around 15%. Solid bioenergy and waste contributed 13%, while wind and coal each accounted for about 9%. Other renewables, including hydropower and geothermal, added roughly 3%, and liquid biofuels contributed 2%.
This confirms a structural shift: renewables are now the main driver of energy expansion. Overall, low-emission sources accounted for nearly 60% of total growth.
However, demand growth remains spread across all energy sources, suggesting that the transition is advancing without an immediate decline in fossil fuel consumption.
Electricity demand grows more than twice as fast
Electricity consumption is expanding much faster than overall global energy demand. In 2025, electricity demand increased by about 3%, more than double the growth rate of total energy.
This reinforces the emergence of the so-called “age of electricity.”
Buildings accounted for around 45% of this growth, followed by industry and services. New applications are also playing a growing role: data center demand rose by 17%, while electric vehicle adoption surged by 38%.
In the United States, data centers alone accounted for roughly 50% of electricity demand growth.
Data centers contributed about 70 TWh to the overall increase, while transport represented over 10% of total growth, compared to a 4% average between 2014 and 2024.
This highlights a deeper transformation: more sectors are shifting toward electricity, making the power system the core of the energy transition.
Regional trends reshape global energy demand
The evolution of global energy demand in 2025 shows strong regional differences.
China remains the largest contributor but slowed to 1.7%, significantly lower than in previous years, driven by renewable expansion and efficiency gains.
The United States, by contrast, saw demand growth exceed 2%, supported by industrial activity, colder weather, and data center consumption.
The European Union recorded a slight decline of -0.1%, while India slowed to around 1%. Meanwhile, Africa and the Middle East posted stronger growth rates.
This reflects a geographical redistribution of demand, with advanced economies rebounding and some emerging markets slowing.
Weather plays a growing role in global energy demand
Climate conditions had a direct impact on global energy demand in 2025.
A colder winter in advanced economies increased natural gas consumption, contributing more than 16 billion cubic meters to global demand growth.
Conversely, an early monsoon in India reduced electricity demand and coal use, while drought conditions in Europe and Latin America limited hydropower generation, increasing reliance on fossil fuels.
Overall, weather-related factors added around 90 million tons of CO2 emissions, highlighting the growing vulnerability of the energy system to climate variability.
Record expansion of renewables in 2025
The year marked unprecedented growth for clean technologies.
Electric vehicle sales exceeded 21 million units, meaning one in four cars sold globally was electric.
Energy storage also expanded rapidly, with 108 GW of new capacity installed, up 40% from 2024, bringing total capacity to levels 11 times higher than in 2021.
Renewables reached a record 800 GW of new installations, with solar accounting for about 75% (600 GW). Total installed solar capacity rose to around 2,800 GW.
Renewables meet all electricity demand growth
Electricity generation increased by more than 850 TWh in 2025, and the entire increase was met by low-emission sources.
Solar alone added 600 TWh, while wind generation grew by 8%.
Coal, despite remaining the largest source at 34% of generation, declined slightly. Natural gas grew marginally.
The total share of low-emission sources reached 43%, the highest level in the past fifty years.
Global electricity generation rose from 31,260 TWh in 2024 to 32,132 TWh in 2025. Renewables increased from 9,947 to 10,808 TWh (+8.7%), while coal declined slightly and gas grew modestly.
Fossil fuels remain essential despite the transition
Oil demand grew by 0.7% in 2025, confirming a structural slowdown driven by transport electrification and efficiency gains. Natural gas increased by 1%, maintaining a key role as a flexible energy source. Coal grew by just 0.4%, signaling global stagnation.Despite the rapid expansion of renewables, fossil fuels remain critical to meeting global energy demand.
Emissions reach a new global record
Energy-related emissions rose by 0.4% in 2025, reaching a record 38.4 billion tons of CO2.
Growth was slower than GDP expansion (+3.1%), indicating a gradual decoupling between economic activity and emissions.
Natural gas was the main contributor to emissions growth, while coal remained stable.
Clean technologies deployed since 2019 avoided around 35 exajoules of fossil energy demand in 2025, equivalent to 7% of the global total.
They also prevented approximately 3 billion tons of CO2 emissions, about 8% of the global total. Solar accounted for 1.5 Gt of avoided emissions, followed by wind at 1.1 Gt.
Low-emission sources reached 43% of global electricity generation, while renewables alone accounted for 34%, up from 32% in 2024 and 23% a decade ago. Solar and wind combined reached 17%, compared to just 5% ten years ago.