Global power production 2023, by leading country

As of 2023, China was the largest producer of electricity globally by a significant margin with over 9.4 petawatt-hours generated, followed by the United States with 4.5 petawatt-hours. Both countries generated a considerable amount more than the next highest producer, India, where almost two petawatt-hours were produced. Coal and natural gas remain the primary sources of energy worldwide, maintaining a high global reliance on fossil-based fuels. For instance, natural gas was the largest source of electricity generation in the U.S. in 2023, followed by renewables. 

Global expansion of electricity networks

Energy networks have been undergoing expansion and modernization to tackle challenges such as the climate crisis and a growing global population through electrification. As a result of this, there has been significant growth in electricity access, with almost 100 million more people gaining access to energy networks worldwide in 2022, of which 44 million were in Central and Southern Asia. With increased electricity access, electricity production increases will become increasingly necessary.  

Transitioning towards renewables

Use of both coal and renewable electricity has grown worldwide, particularly in the European Union and China, where the largest year-on-year change in coal and renewable generation was recorded in 2022, with renewable electricity growth outpacing coal. As part of its increase in power generation, China has the largest share of clean electricity capacity installed by country worldwide, amounting to approximately 1.27 terawatts.