The Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy findings reveal a year in which energy demand continues to surge, low-carbon electricity reaches a historic milestone and transition pathways diverge sharply across regions – all against a backdrop of rising geopolitical risks.
The Energy Institute, in partnership with Ember and in collaboration with Kearney and KPMG, has today released the 75th edition of the Statistical Review of World Energy, offering the first complete look at global energy data for 2025.
Key findings:
- Record energy demand – total energy supply (TES) rose 1.7%, with all major energy sources rising to all-time highs for the second consecutive year.
- Low-carbon breakthrough – renewables were the largest source of TES growth for the first time outside of a recession, with solar power accounting for 71% of the increase in renewables.
- US emissions rise faster than China – US emissions grew 3.2%, driven by a 13% surge in coal-fired power – in absolute terms, four times the growth of China.
- Solar and storage surge – solar generation expanded by 30% worldwide, while battery capacity grew at 66%, reinforcing their role as the fastest‑scaling clean technologies.
- Energy security pressures intensify – a 4.8% growth in oil production in the Americas, which has helped lessen the impacts of the current Middle East conflict.
A year of record demand and widening divergence
Global energy demand rose 1.7%, with efficiency gains (relative to GDP growth) remaining at 2%, far short of the 4% annual improvement targeted at COP28.
Global emissions rose 1.1%, though regional trends diverged sharply. China’s emissions grew only 0.3%, while India’s rose 0.9%, both below the global average. By contrast, the US recorded a 3.2% increase, the largest among major economies.
Electrification accelerates as low-carbon power reaches a turning point
Electricity is growing in prominence in the energy system, with electricity demand continuing to grow faster than TES, rising 3% year-on-year. New drivers of electricity demand, from electric vehicles to data centres and AI, continued to centralise the role of electricity in 2025.
In 2025, rising electricity demand was met entirely by low-carbon sources, with renewables and hydro overtaking coal as the largest source of generation. Fossil generation fell overall, resulting in fossil fuels being substituted rather than supplemented.
Global electricity consumption rose 3%, with China recording the fastest growth of any major economy at over 5%, adding electricity demand equivalent to the entire consumption of Germany in a single year.
US electricity demand grew 3%, broadly in line with the global average – in a data first for the Statistical Review, global electricity consumption for data centres was reported at 788 TWh, with 40% of this in the US.
Regional patterns reveal a fragmented transition
- China delivered another record year for wind and solar – more than the rest of the world combined – with coal generation declining.
- India saw coal, oil and gas generation all fall, while renewable generation increased nearly 24%.
- Europe saw renewables grow 7%, largely offset by weaker hydro; wind generation fell slightly. UK solar was a standout, rising 37%.
- The US saw solar surge 28%, but wind just 3%, while coal generation rose 13%, driving the country’s emissions increase.
- In a continuing rebalancing of global oil production, the Americas now produce 20% more oil than the Middle East, with a 4% increase in US oil and gas production in 2025 – a flip from two decades ago when the Middle East produced 20% more.
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