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Electricity Mid-Year Update 2025 Emissions: Power generation CO2 emissions are plateauing
Global emissions from electricity generation rose by 1.2% in 2024, following an increase of 1.6% in 2023. Last year was even hotter than in 2023 – making it the warmest year on record – with the heat waves boosting electricity demand for cooling. Nonetheless, growth in power sector emissions showed signs of slowing down as rapid deployment of renewables constrained increases in fossil-fired generation. As this trend continues, we expect 2025 emissions to plateau and remain relatively unchanged. In 2026, we forecast a slight decline of less than 1%, as the increase in low-emissions generation depresses fossil-fired…
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Tinne Van der Straeten
Minister of Energy, Belgium.
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How global oil supplies have readjusted to help fill the huge gap left by the Strait of Hormuz shock
commentary Stock drawdowns, alternative routes and suppliers, and agile refiners have all contributed during the crisis, avoiding far more severe impacts on demand Global energy markets have been contending with their largest supply disruption in history resulting from the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for oil and gas shipments to reach global markets. The cumulative oil supply losses from producers in the Middle East now exceed 1.3 billion barrels, with flows through the Strait of Hormuz falling from around 20 million barrels per day prior to the conflict to an average of 2.7…
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World Energy Outlook 2022 Outlook for electricity
Electricity accounts for about 20% of the world’s total final consumption of energy, but its share of energy services is higher due to its efficiency. It is central to many aspects of daily life and becomes more so as electricity spreads to new end-uses, such as electric vehicles (EVs) and heat pumps. The electricity sector accounted for 59% of all the coal used globally in 2021, together with 34% of natural gas, 4% of oil, 52% of all renewables and nearly 100% of nuclear power. It also accounted for over one-third of all energy-related CO2 emissions…
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World Energy Investment 2025 China
Record-breaking renewables investment in China continues, advancing in tandem with the expansion of grid and storage for renewables while keeping coal in the mix In the ten years since the signing of the Paris Agreement and five years since the announcement of the dual carbon goals, China has seen a precipitous rise in clean energy investment, particularly in renewables. In 2024 China’s clean energy investment was more than USD 625 billion, almost doubling since 2015. China also achieved its 2030 wind and solar capacity target in 2024, six years ahead of schedule. While renewable installations are set to continue, investment…
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Energy Efficiency Policy Toolkit Energy Efficiency Policy Toolkit: Case studies
The following case studies demonstrate how different countries have successfully implemented energy efficiency policies across various sectors. These real-world examples are designed to support policymakers by offering practical insights into what works, under which conditions, and why.Each case study highlights specific policy instruments—such as regulations, information campaigns, or financial incentives—and shows how they have been applied in different contexts. They provide evidence on the outcomes achieved, lessons learned, and the challenges encountered during implementation. Readers are encouraged to explore the case studies by sector, policy type, or geographic region using the filters provided. Case studies bridge…
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What Next for the Global Car Industry The global car industry in context
Highlights Global car markets are undergoing potentially transformative changes. Car sales reached a high point in 2017 and have bounced back from a pandemic-related drop due to sales of electric and hybrid cars; sales of conventional cars have continued to fall. Growth has shifted to emerging economies including China since the turn of the century, with around half of all sales now in these regions. Global car production has grown unevenly since the pandemic. China’s car output reached a record 27 million in 2024, 30% higher than in 2019, while India’s output grew 30% to almost 5…
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Energy Efficiency 2025 Transport
How and where is energy used? Total final consumption in 2024 was over 450 EJ and has grown by around 25 EJ since 2019. Transport accounts for around 30% of global energy demand and have contributed around 10% of the growth in total demand since 2019. Road transport accounts for nearly 90% of total domestic energy demand. The remaining 10% is split between domestic aviation, domestic shipping and rail.In advanced economies, passenger cars dominate road transport demand, accounting for around 65% of the transport energy use. Trucks make up most of the remainder. Buses play a minor role in energy demand…
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Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025 Beyond NMC batteries: Supply chain issues for emerging battery technologies
The LFP battery supply chains are significantly more concentrated than those for nickel-based batteries Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries now supply almost half the global electric car market up from less than 10% in 2020, at the expense of the previously dominant nickel-based NMC lithium-ion batteries, due to improved performance and lower costs. This remarkable battery chemistry shift is leading to new battery critical mineral supply chains coming into focus beyond nickel and cobalt. Simultaneously, there is also the emergence of manganese-rich lithium-ion cathodes, sodium-ion batteries, as well as the anticipated impact of solid…
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Global EV Outlook 2026 Trends in electric cars
Electric car sales Electric car sales topped 20 million globally in 2025 One in four new cars sold worldwide was electric in 2025The electric car market reached new highs in 2025, growing by 20% from 2024 to exceed 20 million sales, in line with expectations in the 2025 edition of the Global EV Outlook. The sales share of electric cars in the overall car market increased to 25%. This marked the fifth consecutive year in which annual electric car sales increased by about 3.5 million, a trend that began in 2021 after the Covid‑19 pandemic. As a result, about 5% of the…
