A new report by the Pew Research Centre, based on data from energy think tank Ember, says fossil fuels remained the world’s largest source of electricity in 2025, accounting for 57 per cent of global power generation.
Although the share of electricity produced from coal, natural gas and oil has declined from 65 per cent in 2000, fossil fuels continue to dominate the global energy mix.
The report also cited the Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy, which found that coal, gas and oil still accounted for 86 per cent of global primary energy consumption, a proportion that has remained largely unchanged over the past two decades.
According to the report, wind and solar energy have recorded significant growth, increasing their combined contribution to 17 per cent of global electricity generation last year, compared with less than five per cent a decade earlier.
When combined with hydropower, geothermal and tidal energy, renewable sources generated a larger share of global electricity than fossil fuels, largely due to the long-standing contribution of hydropower.
The report, however, noted that nuclear power declined from 17 per cent of global electricity generation in 2000 to nine per cent last year.
It explained that electricity demand is increasing faster than new power generation capacity is being added, making fossil fuels—particularly coal and natural gas—critical because they can provide electricity on demand, unlike wind and solar energy.
The report highlighted China as the global leader in expanding wind and solar capacity while remaining one of the world’s biggest consumers of coal, oil and natural gas.
It also noted that the European Union generated more electricity from non-fossil fuel sources than from coal and gas in 2025, with 48 per cent of its electricity coming from non-hydrocarbon sources, compared with 29 per cent from gas- and coal-fired power plants.
In Nigeria, the report said gas-fired power plants continue to produce about 70 per cent of the country’s electricity.
