World Energy Statistical Report 2026: The Challenges of Energy Transition
The Energy Institute has released the World Energy Statistical Report 2026, published in collaboration with Ember and supported by KPMG and Kearney. This Statistical Report, now in its 70th year of publication by BP, remains one of the most valuable annual references for understanding the global energy system.
Over the coming weeks, we will examine in greater depth the key categories within the report, including oil, natural gas, coal, renewable energy, electricity, and carbon dioxide emissions. However, the first lesson from the 2026 edition is a broad and uncomfortable message: the world continues to add clean energy at an impressive rate, but total energy demand is still increasing so rapidly that fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions continue to rise.
Current Energy Consumption Status
In 2025, global total energy supply increased from 592.2 exajoules to 600.3 exajoules, a rise of approximately 1.4%. Renewable energy grew at a faster percentage rate, increasing by nearly 10%. However, in absolute terms, renewable energy only added about 3.2 exajoules, while total energy supply increased by approximately 8.1 exajoules.
| Energy Type | Growth (Exajoules) |
|---|---|
| Total Energy | 8.1 |
| Renewable Energy | 3.2 |
| Fossil Fuels | 4.6 |
This disparity explains much of the global emissions picture. Renewable energy has grown rapidly, but not fast enough to meet all new demand and reduce fossil fuel use simultaneously.
Fossil Fuels Still Dominate
In 2025, oil remained the world's largest energy source at 201.0 exajoules. Natural gas increased to 150.7 exajoules, while coal also rose to 166.0 exajoules. These three fossil fuel sources together provided approximately 518 exajoules of global energy.
This means that fossil fuels still accounted for about 86% of the global total energy supply in 2025. Renewable energy, despite its rapid growth, accounted for only about 5.9%. Nuclear energy supplied approximately 5.2%, while hydropower provided about 2.7%.
North America's Emissions Warning
One of the standout findings in this year's Statistical Report is that North America was responsible for nearly half of the global increase in carbon dioxide emissions. According to the Energy Institute, North America accounted for 47% of the global increase in emissions in 2025, with U.S. emissions rising by 3.2%.
This is a notable reversal of the long-term trend for the United States. U.S. emissions had peaked and been declining, thanks to the shift from coal to gas, efficiency improvements, renewable energy growth, and changes in industrial structure. However, 2025 shows that progress on emissions is not always guaranteed.
America's Energy Dominance
The report also highlights the increasingly strong position of North America in global energy markets. Oil and natural gas together provided more than 75% of the region's energy, thanks to abundant domestic resources, particularly U.S. shale oil production.
The United States remained the world's largest producer of both oil and natural gas in 2025, supplying nearly 21% of global oil production and 26% of global natural gas production. Since 2016, the U.S. has produced more natural gas than it consumes, and for the past three years, the country has produced more oil than it consumes.
The Evolving Global Energy System
The 2026 Statistical Report shows an energy system moving in multiple different directions. The Asia-Pacific region remains the largest energy-consuming area, with total energy supply increasing to 283.8 exajoules. China alone accounted for 162.2 exajoules, more than a quarter of the global total. India's energy demand continued to grow, reaching 39.1 exajoules.
| Region | Total Energy Supply (Exajoules) |
|---|---|
| Asia-Pacific | 283.8 |
| North America | 113.7 |
| Europe | 72.1 |
| Middle East | Increasing |
| Africa | Increasing |
Conclusion
The 2026 Statistical Report tells a familiar story but with new urgency. The world is producing and consuming more energy than ever before. Renewable energy is growing rapidly, solar power is breaking records, and low-carbon electricity is increasing. Yet oil, natural gas, and coal are still growing.
This is why global emissions continue to rise. The world is not replacing fossil fuels fast enough. Adding clean energy to a system where total demand continues to expand creates significant challenges. The energy transition is progressing, but not fast enough to prevent emissions growth.
In subsequent articles, I will delve deeper into individual fuel types and regional trends. However, the overview from this year's Statistical Report is clear: the world made impressive advances in clean energy in 2025, but the overall system continues to reach record levels of energy consumption and emissions.