Fossil fuels remained responsible for nearly 60% of global electricity generation in 2024, while renewables and nuclear supplied most generation growth. These fossil fuel electricity statistics distinguish generation, demand, fuel consumption, capacity additions and emissions across the world, the United States and selected regions.
Key Fossil Fuel Electricity Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- In 2024, global electricity generation grew by more than 1,200 TWh, or about 4% worldwide.
- In 2024, fossil fuels supplied nearly 60% of global electricity generation worldwide.
- In 2024, coal supplied 35% of global electricity generation worldwide.
- In 2024, natural gas supplied more than 20% of global electricity generation worldwide.
- In 2024, renewables and nuclear supplied two-fifths of global generation worldwide.
- In 2024, fossil-fuel generation increased by just over 1% worldwide.
- In 2024, global coal power generation rose nearly 1% to 10,700 TWh worldwide.
- In 2024, China accounted for 58% of global coal consumption.
- In 2024, India’s coal power generation grew 5%.
- In 2024, natural-gas generation increased about 2.5% worldwide.
- In 2024, natural gas accounted for over 40% of U.S. electricity generation.
- In 2023, U.S. utility-scale fossil-fuel generation totaled 2,505 billion kWh, or 60.0% of generation.
- In 2023, U.S. utility-scale natural gas generated 1,802 billion kWh, or 43.1% of total generation.
- In 2023, coal, natural gas and petroleum supplied about 60% of U.S. utility-scale generation but 99% of associated CO2 emissions.
- In 2023, U.S. coal-fired utility-scale generation averaged 2.31 pounds of CO2 per kWh.
- In 2023, U.S. natural-gas-fired utility-scale generation averaged 0.96 pounds of CO2 per kWh.
- In 2024, global renewable capacity additions reached about 700 GW, up an estimated 25%.
- In 2024, solar PV generation increased by about 480 TWh worldwide.
- In 2025, renewables supplied 33.8% of global power generation, according to Ember.
- In 2025, global fossil generation fell 0.2%, according to Ember.
Contents
- Key Fossil Fuel Electricity Statistics
- Global Fossil Fuel Electricity Generation and the 2024 Power Mix
- Coal Electricity Statistics Worldwide
- Natural Gas and Oil-Fired Electricity Data
- U.S. Fossil Fuel Electricity Generation Statistics
- Fossil Fuel Electricity Emissions Statistics
- Fossil Electricity Trends and the Clean-Power Transition
Global Fossil Fuel Electricity Generation and the 2024 Power Mix
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that world electricity generation expanded by more than 1,200 TWh in 2024, an increase of about 4%. Fossil fuels supplied nearly 60% of that generation, with coal at 35% and natural gas above 20%.
IEA, “Electricity – Global Energy Review 2025 – Analysis” reports the following rounded 2024 global mix:
| Source | Share of world generation, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Coal | 35% |
| Natural gas | More than 20% |
| Renewables and nuclear combined | Two-fifths |
| Renewables alone | One-third |
| Hydropower | 14% |
| Wind | 8% |
| Solar PV | 7% |
| Bioenergy and waste | 3% |
Fossil-fuel generation increased by just over 1% in 2024 and represented less than one-fifth of annual generation growth. The IEA figures are rounded estimates, so thresholds such as “more than 20%” should not be read as exact shares.
Coal Electricity Statistics Worldwide
Global coal power generation rose by nearly 1% to 10,700 TWh in 2024, according to the IEA. The electricity sector accounted for two-thirds of global coal consumption, a consumption measure that should not be confused with the share of electricity generated from coal.
IEA, “Coal – Global Energy Review 2025 – Analysis” also estimates that global coal demand grew 1.2% in energy terms, equivalent to about 67 million tonnes of coal equivalent (Mtce), and 1.4% in physical terms, or 123 million tonnes. Energy-equivalent and physical tonnage are different measures.
Regional coal data show how uneven the picture was in 2024:
- China accounted for 58% of global coal consumption, including power and non-power uses.
- China’s total coal demand reached an all-time high after growing 1.2%, or 43 Mtce; its coal generation also increased 1.2%.
- China’s electricity demand rose 7%, or more than 550 TWh, although demand is not identical to generation.
- India’s coal demand grew about 5.5%, or 40 Mtce, while coal power generation grew 5%.
- Coal power represented nearly three-quarters of India’s coal demand, which is a coal-demand allocation rather than an electricity-mix share.
- Southeast Asian coal consumption rose almost 8%, or 25 Mtce, including non-power uses.
- U.S. coal consumption fell 4%, around 10 Mtce, while EU coal power generation fell 15%.
Natural Gas and Oil-Fired Electricity Data
Natural-gas generation increased about 2.5% globally in 2024. Regional shares varied substantially: natural gas supplied over 40% of U.S. electricity generation, 16% of EU generation and about one-quarter of Southeast Asia’s generation.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports utility-scale data separately for natural gas, petroleum liquids and petroleum coke. Utility-scale figures exclude estimated small-scale generation.
| U.S. utility-scale fuel | Generation in 2024 | Change from 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,869,902 thousand MWh | Up 3.5% |
| Petroleum liquids | 11,456 thousand MWh | Up 0.5% |
| Petroleum coke | 3,629 thousand MWh | Down 25.0% |
EIA, “Electric Power Annual, Table 1.1” identifies petroleum coke separately from petroleum liquids and other fossil gases. The categories therefore should not be merged casually when comparing fuel-specific output.
U.S. Fossil Fuel Electricity Generation Statistics
In 2023, EIA recorded 2,505 billion kWh of U.S. utility-scale fossil-fuel generation, equal to 60.0% of total utility-scale generation. Its definition includes coal, natural gas, petroleum and other gases.
| U.S. utility-scale source | Generation, 2023 | Share of total generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1,802 billion kWh | 43.1% |
| Coal | 675 billion kWh | 16.2% |
| Petroleum | 16 billion kWh | 0.4% |
| All fossil fuels | 2,505 billion kWh | 60.0% |
EIA, “How much carbon dioxide is produced per kilowatthour of U.S. electricity generation?” provides the 2023 generation breakdown and defines the utility-scale population. In the 2024 EIA annual table, all-source utility-scale generation was 4,308,634 thousand MWh, up 3.0% from 2023, while coal generation was 652,156 thousand MWh, down 3.4%.
Fuel consumption is a separate measure from generation. In 2024, U.S. utility-scale coal consumption for electricity generation was 372,931 thousand tons, down 3.5%, and natural-gas consumption for generation was 13,754,749 thousand Mcf, up 3.8%; total natural-gas consumption for generation and useful thermal output was 15,001,432 thousand Mcf.
Fossil Fuel Electricity Emissions Statistics
U.S. utility-scale electricity generation produced 1.532 billion metric tons of CO2 in 2023. Coal, natural gas and petroleum supplied about 60% of generation but 99% of associated CO2 emissions under EIA’s carbon-neutral treatment of biomass, hydro, solar and wind.
EIA, “How much carbon dioxide is produced per kilowatthour of U.S. electricity generation?” estimates these fuel-specific totals:
| U.S. utility-scale fuel | CO2 emissions, 2023 | Average CO2 per kWh |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 709 million metric tons | 2.31 pounds |
| Natural gas | 790 million metric tons | 0.96 pounds |
| Petroleum | 18 million metric tons | 2.46 pounds |
| All sources | 1.532 billion metric tons | 0.81 pounds |
These are annual average factors for the defined utility-scale populations, not plant-specific hourly values. EIA notes that actual emissions per kWh vary by plant and over time, and the petroleum total includes petroleum liquids and petroleum coke under the table definition.
Fossil Electricity Trends and the Clean-Power Transition
The IEA estimates that renewables and nuclear supplied over 80% of global generation growth in 2024. Solar PV generation increased about 480 TWh, wind increased about 180 TWh and hydropower increased 190 TWh, with the IEA attributing much of the hydropower increase to wet weather.
Capacity additions describe new generating capability, not electricity output. In 2024, global renewable capacity additions reached about 700 GW, up an estimated 25%; solar PV accounted for more than three-quarters of those additions, while solar PV additions totaled about 550 GW, almost 30% above 2023.
The IEA estimates that solar PV and wind together represented 95% of renewable capacity growth in 2024. IEA, “Electricity – Global Energy Review 2025 – Analysis” cautions through the measure itself that capacity growth and generation growth are not interchangeable.
Ember’s later global review adds a separate 2025 measurement frame. Ember, “Global Electricity Review 2026” covers electricity data from 215 countries and 13 geographic or economic groupings, while its latest-year dataset covers 91 countries representing 93% of global demand; global totals are compiled estimates with coverage limitations.
- In Ember’s 2025 data, solar met 75% of electricity-demand growth worldwide.
- Global fossil generation fell 0.2% in 2025, according to Ember’s reported and compiled coverage.
- Renewables supplied 33.8% of global power generation in 2025.
- Ember reported that solar generation growth was 18 times larger than gas generation growth in 2025; this compares generation increases, not total generation or capacity.
These 2025 figures are observed results in Ember’s dataset, not forecasts. They should be kept distinct from the IEA’s rounded 2024 estimates and from U.S. utility-scale accounting.