Gas share in global power mix has declined for a fifth consecutive year

This report by Ember analyzes the declining role of gas in the global electricity mix as of 2025, noting that gas share has fallen for five consecutive years. The analysis highlights that while global gas generation has not yet peaked in absolute terms, its growth has slowed significantly as renewables increasingly meet new electricity demand, particularly in the G7 and large emerging economies.

• The share of gas in the global electricity mix declined for the fifth consecutive year in 2025, falling from 23.9% in 2020 to 21.8% in 2025. While absolute gas generation has not yet peaked, its growth rate slowed from an average of 2.9% between 2016 and 2020 to 1.6% between 2021 and 2025.
• Renewables are increasingly displacing gas as the primary source for meeting new electricity demand. Between 2001 and 2005, gas met 33% of global demand growth; this dropped to 31% between 2016 and 2020, 11% between 2021 and 2025, and less than 5% in 2025 alone.
• Nearly half of the economies that generate electricity from gas have passed their peak. By 2025, 61 out of 124 such economies had remained below their historical gas generation peak for at least five consecutive years, accounting for approximately one-fifth of global gas-fired electricity generation.
• In the G7, renewable power is nearly equal to gas power in terms of generation. In 2025, renewables generated 2,544 TWh compared to 2,577 TWh from gas. Four G7 economies—the UK, Germany, Italy, and Japan—have remained below their historical gas generation peaks for at least five years.
• Large emerging economies are meeting electricity demand growth without increasing gas reliance. China's gas share was close to 3% in 2025. In India, gas peaked in 2010 at 12.6% and fell to 2.3% by 2025; in Brazil, it peaked in 2014 at 13.7% and fell to 7.3% by 2025.
• The United States saw the most significant growth in gas generation between 2015 and 2025, increasing by 474 TWh, which represents nearly one-third of global gas growth. During this period, the US gas share in the electricity mix rose from 33% to 40%.
• Geopolitical events have accelerated the shift away from gas by highlighting energy security risks and price volatility. This includes Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and expected LNG disruptions linked to the 2026 US-Israel war with Iran.

APA

Wiatros-Motyka, M. (2026). Gas share in global power mix has declined for a fifth consecutive year. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/06/Gas-share-in-global-power-mix-has-declined-for-a-fifth-consecutive-year-1.pdf

Chicago

Wiatros-Motyka, Malgorzata. Gas share in global power mix has declined for a fifth consecutive year. Ember, 2026. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/06/Gas-share-in-global-power-mix-has-declined-for-a-fifth-consecutive-year-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wiatros-Motyka |first1=Malgorzata |title=Gas share in global power mix has declined for a fifth consecutive year |publisher=Ember |date=9 June 2026 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/06/Gas-share-in-global-power-mix-has-declined-for-a-fifth-consecutive-year-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wiatrosmotyka2026gas, author = {Wiatros-Motyka, Malgorzata}, title = {{Gas share in global power mix has declined for a fifth consecutive year}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/06/Gas-share-in-global-power-mix-has-declined-for-a-fifth-consecutive-year-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }