Coal remains the world’s largest source of electricity, producing roughly one-third of global power in 2025. Despite rapid growth in solar and wind, fossil fuels continue to anchor the global energy system.

This visualization breaks down how 31,779 terawatt-hours of electricity were generated worldwide, highlighting the balance between legacy energy systems and fast-growing clean technologies. Data comes from Ember.

Fossil Fuels Still Lead the Mix

Fossil fuels remain the backbone of global electricity, generating 57% of total output in 2025. Coal alone accounts for nearly one-third of all power produced worldwide, making it the single largest source by a wide margin—larger than any individual clean energy category.

Despite years of climate commitments, many economies still rely heavily on coal and gas to meet baseload demand. This reflects both infrastructure lock-in and the challenges of scaling alternative energy sources quickly enough.

Renewables Are Gaining Ground

Clean energy sources collectively generated 43% of global electricity, driven by strong growth in solar and wind. Solar accounted for 8.7% of generation, narrowly surpassing wind at 8.5%, marking a significant milestone for solar’s rapid rise.

Hydropower remained the largest renewable source at 14%, though its growth has slowed in many regions due to geographic and environmental constraints. Other renewables, including biomass and geothermal, contributed a smaller but steady share.

At current growth rates, solar and wind are on track to overtake coal in the coming decades—marking a potential tipping point in the global energy mix.

The Role of Nuclear and Transition Challenges

Nuclear energy continues to play a stabilizing role in the energy mix, supplying nearly 9% of global electricity. Unlike solar and wind, nuclear provides consistent baseload power, making it a key complement as grids integrate more intermittent renewable sources.