The world can deliver affordable energy AND lower emissions at the same time.
01
Key Global Energy & Climate Measures
Gt = gigatonne, one billion tonnes (used for emissions). CO₂e = CO₂-equivalent: all greenhouse gases counted as the amount of CO₂ with the same warming effect. °C = degrees above the pre-industrial average.
Energy Access172025
4Bpeople
living in countries below basic human development energy needs
Energy Insecurity212024
1 in 3
US households faced energy insecurity
Energy Efficiency182025 est.
1.8%/yr
improving, far below the 4%/yr needed
Greenhouse Gas Emissions32024
57.7Gt
CO₂e, a record high
Global Warming42025
1.43°C
above pre-industrial · third-warmest year on record
Climate Related Losses5
$220B
in 2025
▲ Renewable Growth & Falling Cost
Renewable capacity keeps setting records, and it keeps getting cheaper to build — the two trends reinforce each other.
+19% YoY
Renewable capacity added in 2025 — a record 692 GW
−89% since 2010
Solar power cost decline · $44/MWh in 2025 (global weighted-average LCOE)
The world keeps using more energy, and essentially all of the growth is now in the developing world.
EJ = exajoule, a measure of total energy (the world uses ~600 EJ a year). GJ = gigajoule, one billionth of an EJ, used for per-person figures. CAGR = average growth per year.
Energy Supply6 · developed + developing · 2025
Global
600EJ
+1.7% YoY · +1.4%/yr 10-Yr
Developed (OECD)
220EJ
+1.1% YoY · −0.2%/yr 10-Yr
Developing (non-OECD)
380EJ
+2.0% YoY · +2.4%/yr 10-Yr
This is total energy supply — all the energy entering the system — not final consumption, which is what reaches the end user after conversion and delivery losses and runs roughly a third lower. The switch is deliberate: no source publishes a developed/developing split of final consumption past 2023, and a 2023 number is out of date. Growth rates are the Energy Institute's own published figures, which adjust for the extra day in 2024.
Total energy supply · developed + developing · 2016–2025 (EJ)
Developed (OECD)Developing (non-OECD)
Global per capita
73GJ
Developed (OECD)
157GJ
Developing (non-OECD)
56GJ
Per capita is derived: the 2025 totals above ÷ population (World Bank/UN: OECD ≈1.40B, non-OECD ≈6.80B). A person in the developed world still uses about three times what a person in the developing world uses.
Energy Supply7 · fossil + non-fossil · 2025
Global total
600EJ
+1.7% YoY
Fossil · 86%
518EJ
oil 201 · coal 166 · gas 151
Non-fossil · 14%
82EJ
nuclear 31 · renewables 35 · hydro 16
Wind, solar and hydro are counted at the electricity they actually generate. The Energy Institute moved to this basis in 2025, in line with the IEA, EIA and Eurostat, and restated every earlier year with it — so the whole series reads on one yardstick.
Total energy supply · fossil + non-fossil · 2016–2025 (EJ)
Shares are Energy Institute 2025. Wind, solar and bioenergy are not published separately in EJ; those three rows are derived from the same edition's generation data and marked (derived). Growth rates are the 2016–2024 substitution-method series, so read them as trend, not as a share of the 2025 total.
Source
2025 share
CAGR '16–24
03
Less Emissions
CO₂, methane & warming
Developed-world emissions are falling, but the global total still edged up to a record. The curve has not turned yet.
ppm = parts per million, how concentrated CO₂ is in the air (pre-industrial ~280).
CO₂ Emissions8 · fossil + industry
Global · 2025
38.1Gt
+1.1% YoY · +0.8%/yr 5-Yr · highest ever
Developed (OECD) · 2024
11.2Gt
−0.7% YoY · −1.8%/yr 5-Yr
Developing (non-OECD) · 2024
26.2Gt
+1.8% YoY · +2.1%/yr 5-Yr
Global 2025 is the Global Carbon Budget 2025 headline. The developed/developing split is published a year behind, so those two are 2024.
CO₂ from fossil fuels & industry · developed + developing · 2016–2024 (Gt)
Developed (OECD)Developing (non-OECD)
Global per capita
4.6t CO₂
Developed (OECD)
8.0t CO₂
Developing (non-OECD)
3.9t CO₂
Per capita = totals above ÷ population (World Bank/UN 2024: OECD ≈1.40B, non-OECD ≈6.80B).
Methane Emissions9 · all sectors · 2024 (latest published)
Global
9.5Gt CO₂e
+0.9% YoY · +1.1%/yr 5-Yr
Developed (OECD)
2.0Gt CO₂e
~flat YoY · ~flat 5-Yr
Developing (non-OECD)
7.5Gt CO₂e
+1.2% YoY · +1.4%/yr 5-Yr
Total methane emissions · developed + developing · 2016–2024 (Gt CO₂e)
Developed (OECD)Developing (non-OECD)
Atmospheric CO₂ concentration10 · 1979–2025 (ppm) · NOAA global annual mean
425.6ppm (2025) · +2.1 ppm/yr
Warming, temperature over time4 · 1990–2025 (°C above pre-industrial) · line: Met Office series11
+1.43°C (2025, WMO) · third-warmest year · 2024 record: 1.55°C
04
Driving Progress
investment, electrification, build-out
Investment and clean build-out are setting records. The tools for more energy with less emissions are scaling.
$T = trillion dollars. TWh = terawatt-hour, a measure of electricity (the world generates ~32,000 TWh a year). GW = gigawatt, power capacity. pp = percentage points.
Energy Systems Investment12
Total
$3.4T
+5% YoY · +12%/yr 5-Yr · 2026 est.
Clean / low-emissions
$2.2T
~flat YoY · ~2× fossil
Fossil fuels
$1.2T
up modestly · oil down, gas up
Energy investment · clean vs fossil · 2016–2026 (US$ trillion)
Clean / low-emissionsRest of total (incl. fossil)clean/fossil split published from 2022
Electrification by Region13 · electricity's share of final energy · 2024
Low-Emission Capacity Additions14
Total renewables added · 2025
692GW
+19% YoY · +21%/yr 5-Yr · most ever added
China
440GW
~64% of global
Rest of world
252GW
OECD + other developing
Renewable power capacity added per year · 2016–2025 (GW)
05
Our P50 Outlook
our in-house projection
P50 = the 50/50 point: as likely to land above as below. It signals a balanced projection, not a best case.
▲ The prize still on the table
Emissions plateau within the next decade in our P50 Outlook. The job now is to widen the gap between energy growth and emissions, and close the distance to a 1.8°C path.
−0.2%/yr
'P50' Outlook for CO₂ through 2035, a plateau after a century of growth
~66 Gt
Cumulative gap between our Outlook and a 1.8°C path
~2030
Oil demand peaks in our Outlook; renewables reach ~25% of the mix by 2035
OpenMinds · Intersect model15
More energy, less emissions—fast. OpenMinds is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit mobilizing senior energy and climate leaders to help address the dual challenge: delivering affordable energy for a growing world while cutting emissions. openminds203x.org ↗
.svg)
.svg){kind=icon}
