Global electricity generation by source 2023| Statista

Coal has been the main source of electricity generation worldwide for the last three decades. In 2023, global coal power generation stood at almost 10,500 terawatt-hours. Overall, coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels accounted for approximately 60 percent of the global electricity production that year.

Renewable energy sources of electricity generation

The production of renewable energy has been increasing steadily over the past decades, with solar and wind energy showing the largest year-over-year growth between 2022 and 2023. However, the contribution of renewables to the world’s electric power mix remains small when compared to fossil fuel sources.

Electricity demand vs production

The volume of electricity generated worldwide surpassed the global consumption of electricity by a small margin. This figure is directly affected by the fact that the number of people without access to electricity in the world has shrunk over the past decade and is continuously decreasing.

Generation of electricity worldwide from 1990 to 2023, by energy source (in terawatt-hours)

Characteristic	Coal	Natural gas	Hydropower*	Nuclear	Wind	Solar**	Other fossil***	Bioenergy	Other renewables****	Waste	Other	Biofuels	Oil
2023	10,479.37	6,635.11	4,197.92	2,677.9	2,302.97	1,628.27	788.77	678.81	89.85	-	-	-	-
2022	10,288.06	6,581.38	4,298.82	2,639.68	2,098.51	1,323.38	849.66	675.77	89.28	-	-	-	-
2021	10,156.81	6,492.94	4,275.47	2,762.24	1,849.47	1,055.69	830.76	658.66	87.25	-	-	-	-
2020	9,417.44	6,332.21	4,343.51	2,648.37	1,590.68	853.36	773	609.27	86.43	-	-	-	-
2019	9,914.4	6,346	4,329	2,789.7	1,427.4	681	-	-	-	112.7	154.3	542.6	747.2
2018	10,148.4	6,153.5	4,313.2	2,709.1	1,276.8	555.6	-	-	-	116.2	148.1	505.9	779.7
2015	9,535.7	5,535.2	3,981.7	2,570.1	834	244.9	-	-	-	99.6	128.6	409.6	1,023.4
2010	8,670.6	4,843.6	3,535.9	2,756.3	342.2	32	-	-	-	87	103.9	275.2	966.6
2005	7,326	3,702.3	3,019.3	2,768	104.5	3.7	-	-	-	58.1	92.4	169.4	1,128.5
2000	5,995.5	2,771.5	2,695.6	2,590.6	31.3	0.8	-	153.5	-	49.7	75.2	112.4	1,188.5
1995	4,993.3	2,017.9	2,545.9	2,332	8	0.2	-	-	-	35	65.1	94.9	1,230.3
1990	4,429.5	1,747.8	2,191	2,012.9	3.9	0.09	-	-	-	24.1	57.5	105.3	1,324

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Release date

2024

More information

Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

1990 to 2023

Special properties

IEA is the source of the figures until 2019.

Supplementary notes

* Includes generation from pumped-hydro power stations until 2019.
** Solar photovoltaic until 2019, solar thermal included afterward.
*** Includes oil, petroleum products, manufactured gases, and waste.
**** Includes geothermal, tide, and wave generation. Includes solar thermal until 2019.

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