3% of global electricity is generated from Oil in 2025/2026

Globally, oil generated about 866 TWh of electricity in the 12 months from July 2025 to June 2026, equivalent to 2.8% of global electricity consumption. That is down from 950 TWh and a 3.8% share in 2016: a decline of roughly 85 TWh, or 9%, and about one percentage point of market share over a decade. Oil has therefore become less important in electricity supply, although its remaining output is substantial. Replacing that generation with growing supplies of low-carbon electricity would help meet rising demand without perpetuating dependence on fossil fuels.

The country figures show different patterns of scale and dependence, but also a ranking inconsistency: the total-generation table places United States first at about 39 TWh, whereas the growth table reports higher current output for Iraq and Qatar, at roughly 61 TWh and 59 TWh respectively. Qatar records the largest five-year increase, adding nearly 59 TWh, followed by Iraq at around 21 TWh; United States and Egypt each added about 20 TWh. Mexico and Egypt each produce around 24 TWh, yet oil supplies roughly 7% of electricity in Mexico versus 10% in Egypt. Cyprus stands out much more strongly for dependence, with almost three-quarters of its electricity from oil and just over 3,000 kWh per person, compared with about 250 kWh per person in Iran, where oil supplies around 22%. Chile and Spain also feature among the per-person leaders. Among US states, Hawaii is especially oil-dependent: its roughly 7 TWh supplies 61% of electricity and approaches 5,000 kWh per person, far above the oil shares of around 1–2% in New York and Michigan.

Oil’s IPCC lifecycle carbon intensity of 650 gCO2eq/kWh underscores the climate benefit of replacing it: the corresponding figures are 11 gCO2eq/kWh for wind, 12 gCO2eq/kWh for nuclear, 45 gCO2eq/kWh for solar, 24 gCO2eq/kWh for hydro and 38 gCO2eq/kWh for geothermal. Oil combustion also contributes to harmful air pollution. Over the past five years, Iran recorded the largest reduction in oil-fired generation, around 33 TWh, followed by Pakistan at 26 TWh and Lebanon at 18 TWh; Brazil and Venezuela each reduced output by about 11 TWh. These reductions offer opportunities for cleaner electricity, but do not by themselves establish that clean generation replaced oil. Expanding nuclear, solar and wind can turn declining fossil generation into a durable climate and public-health gain while increasing electricity supply.