Major Countries and Regions

This report provides a detailed analysis of the power sectors of the world's seven largest electricity markets in 2025: China, the United States, the European Union, India, Russia, Japan, and Brazil. These regions collectively represent 72% of global electricity demand. The document examines trends in generation mix, demand growth, carbon intensity, and emissions, highlighting a global shift toward wind and solar, though the pace and drivers vary significantly by region.

• China continues to lead global clean energy expansion, with solar generation growing by 40% in 2025. The country's solar growth is so significant that its 2025 increase of 336 TWh exceeded the total global solar addition in 2023. In 2025, China's clean generation growth of 561 TWh was enough to cover all additional electricity demand, and the power sector saw its first absolute emissions decline since 2015, falling by 37 MtCO2e.
• In the United States, wind and solar generation combined to surpass nuclear generation for the first time in 2025, meeting 74% of the year's electricity demand growth. However, US power sector emissions rose by 3.1% in 2025 due to a shift from gas to coal generation, driven by higher gas prices. Data centers are identified as a major driver of demand, projected to cause roughly half of total US demand growth through 2030.
• The European Union reached a milestone in 2025 as wind and solar generation exceeded fossil generation for the first time, accounting for 30% of total power generation. The EU's clean power share reached 71% in 2025. While coal generation hit a record low, gas generation rose by 8% to compensate for a 12% decline in hydropower output caused by reduced rainfall.
• India's renewable generation grew twice as fast as its electricity demand in 2025, with solar becoming the largest source of clean electricity, overtaking hydropower for the first time. India recorded the world's second-largest increase in wind generation and third-largest in solar. Consequently, coal generation declined by 44 TWh, and the power sector's carbon intensity fell to 670 gCO2e/kWh.
• Russia's power sector remains largely stagnant in the energy transition, with wind and solar accounting for less than 1% of electricity generation in 2025. Electricity demand fell by 1.4% in 2025, primarily due to unusually warm winter temperatures. Fossil fuels continue to dominate the mix at 64%, with gas providing 45% of the country's electricity.
• Japan's carbon intensity reached its lowest level in 15 years in 2025, though it still relies on fossil fuels for 67% of its electricity. Solar's share of the mix has nearly tripled over the last decade to 9.8%. While nuclear generation rose to 9.1% in 2025, wind remains marginal at 1.3% despite significant untapped offshore potential.
• Brazil maintains one of the cleanest power sectors globally, generating 87% of its electricity from renewables in 2025. Solar generation surpassed fossil generation for the first time in 2025, with solar and wind together reaching a 27% share of the mix. This growth has helped mitigate the impact of persistent droughts that caused hydropower generation to decline by 6% in 2025.

APA

Ember (2026). Major Countries and Regions. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/major-countries-and-regions-3/

Chicago

Ember. Major Countries and Regions. 2026. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/major-countries-and-regions-3/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Major Countries and Regions |date=21 April 2026 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/major-countries-and-regions-3/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2026major, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Major Countries and Regions}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/major-countries-and-regions-3/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }