Electricity generation worldwide in selected years from 1995 to 2023, with a forecast until 2050 (in 1,000 terawatt-hours)

In 2023, about 31,000 terawatt-hours of electricity were generated globally. Global electricity generation is forecast to continue growing over the next three decades and expected to reach  ****** terawatt-hours by 2050. 

Electrification and decarbonization

The growth in worldwide power generation will largely be driven by decarbonization efforts, including the electrification of the transportation and building sectors. For instance, the global sales of electric vehicles have grown ********* between 2018 and 2022.
In the building sector, efforts to decarbonize heating systems also rely on clean electricity. The share of renewable energy used to power heat pumps worldwide is increasing, although it was slightly over ** percent in 2023.

Global electricity trends

Since 1990, global power generation has increased every year except in 2009, following the global financial crisis, and in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasing power demand is the result of various factors, including economic development and increasing access to electricity throughout the world.