How much of world energy consumption and production is from renewable energy?
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes modeled projections and analysis for world consumption and production of renewable energy (and other types of fuel/energy sources) in the International Energy Outlook 2017 (IEO2017). The IEO2017 includes projections for the world and for country groups, geographic regions, and selected countries.
There are figures (charts) that include world renewable energy use from 1990 to 2015 and projections out to 2040 in the IEO2017 Executive summary.
- Figure 2: Total world energy consumption by energy source
- Figure 6: World net electricity generation by energy source
The tables of the IEO2017 have projections out to 2050 for renewable energy consumption, production of liquid fuels from renewable sources, and generation of electricity from renewable energy sources.
Renewable energy share of total world energy consumption, liquid fuels production, and electricity generation in the IEO2017 Reference case
| 2015 | 2020 | 2035 | 2050 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy consumption1 | 12.5% | 13.7% | 16.9% | 18.0% |
| Liquid fuels production2 | 2.2% | 2.4% | 2.9% | 2.8% |
| Electricity generation3 | 21.0% | 23.7% | 28.9% | 29.8% |
1 See Table F1
2 See Tables G1 and G3
3 See Tables H12 and H17
Learn more:
International energy statistics (historical data for the world, regions, and countries)
Last updated: October 3, 2018
Other FAQs about General Energy
- Does EIA have county-level energy production data?
- Does EIA have energy consumption and price data for cities, counties, or by zip code?
- Does EIA have maps or information on the location of U.S. natural gas and oil pipelines?
- Does EIA have projections for energy production, consumption, and prices for individual states?
- Does EIA publish the location of electric power plants and transmission lines?
- How do I compare the cost of heating fuels?
- How many smart meters are installed in the United States, and who has them?
- How much does it cost to build different types of power plants in the United States?
- How much electricity is used for cooling in the United States?
- How much energy does a person use in a year?
- How much energy does the world consume by each energy end-use sector?
- How much energy is consumed in U.S. residential and commercial buildings?
- Where can I get help paying my utility bills?
- How much natural gas is consumed in the United States?
- How much of U.S. energy consumption and electricity generation comes from renewable energy sources?
- How much of world energy consumption and production is from renewable energy?
- What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source?
- What is the United States’ share of world energy consumption?
- What types and amounts of energy are produced in each state?