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IEA’s Global Energy Review 2025: Key Trends in Demand, Renewables, and Emissions

The International Energy Agency (IEA) released its Global Energy Review 2025 on March 24, providing a comprehensive analysis of energy demand, fossil fuel consumption, clean energy technologies, and CO₂ emissions in 2024.

Key Highlights

Energy Demand & Supply

• Global energy demand grew by 2.2%, surpassing the decade-long average.
• Electricity demand surged by 4.3%, driven by extreme weather, industrial activity, electrification of transport, and data centers.
• Renewables (38%) led the growth, followed by natural gas (28%), coal (15%), oil (11%), and nuclear (8%).
• Developing economies, especially China and India, accounted for 80% of demand growth.

Fossil Fuels

• Oil demand growth slowed to 0.8%, with oil's total energy share falling below 30% for the first time.
• Natural gas demand rose 2.7%, led by growth in China and India.
• Global coal demand increased by 1%, mainly due to power generation in Asia.

Electricity Generation

• Coal remained dominant (35%) but saw a decline in share.
• Renewables and nuclear contributed 80% of new power generation, with solar PV leading at 480 TWh.
• Global electricity consumption rose by 1,100 TWh, marking a historic high.

Clean Energy Technologies

• EV sales grew by 25%, surpassing 17 million units, accounting for 20% of total car sales.
• Renewable capacity hit a record 700 GW, with solar PV contributing 550 GW.
• Nuclear power capacity increased by 7 GW, driven by new plants in China and Russia.

CO₂ Emissions & Energy Efficiency

• Energy-related CO₂ emissions reached 37.8 Gt, but growth slowed to 0.8% due to clean energy expansion.
• Renewables, nuclear, EVs, and heat pumps helped avoid 2.6 billion tonnes of CO₂ annually.
• Energy intensity improvements slowed to 1%, down from the 2% average (2010-2019).