World electricity demand reaches historic high in 2025 as electrification surges

The 2025 edition of the Statistical Review of World Energy, produced by the Energy Institute and Kearney, reports a 3% year‑on‑year rise in global electricity demand, outpacing the 1.7% growth in overall energy supply. The increase was fully met by low‑carbon sources, with renewable generation and hydro overtaking coal as the leading source of electricity.

China posted the strongest demand growth at 5.2%, comparable to Germany’s total annual consumption, while the United States grew 3.2%, matching the global average. Data centres accounted for 788 TWh of electricity use, 40% of which was consumed in the United States. Solar output rose 30% worldwide and battery storage capacity expanded 66%.

Global carbon emissions rose 1.1%, but regional differences were stark: the United States saw a 3.2% increase, the highest among major economies, while China and India recorded below‑average rises of 0.3% and 0.9% respectively. In the United States, coal‑generated electricity grew 13%, driving its emissions surge.

Geopolitical shifts altered oil production patterns, with America now producing 20% more crude than the Middle East and U.S. output rising 4.8% in 2025. Spain’s electricity demand grew 5%, matching China’s rate and surpassing the European average of 1.6%, while its energy supply and carbon emissions also exceeded global averages.