Electricity generation from fossil fuels in Australia
Australia: Electricity generation from fossil fuels was 175.76 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
175.76 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 3.9%
World rank
16th
of 214 countries
All-time high
229.74 terawatt-hours
in 2009
All-time low
105.54 terawatt-hours
in 1985
Years of data
41
1985–2025
Electricity generation from fossil fuels in Australia, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
Australia recorded 175.76 terawatt-hours for electricity generation from fossil fuels in 2025.
That represents a change of down 3.9% on the previous year and down 19.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from fossil fuels in Australia peaked at 229.74 terawatt-hours in 2009 and was at its lowest, 105.54 terawatt-hours, in 1985.
Australia ranks 16th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Electricity generation from fossil fuels in Australia, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 105.54 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 110.14 terawatt-hours | +4.4% |
| 1987 | 117.14 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 1988 | 123.16 terawatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 1989 | 131.71 terawatt-hours | +6.9% |
| 1990 | 139.4 terawatt-hours | +5.8% |
| 1991 | 141.3 terawatt-hours | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 144.36 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 147.9 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 152.98 terawatt-hours | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 158.39 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 162.86 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 171.65 terawatt-hours | +5.4% |
| 1998 | 182.19 terawatt-hours | +6.1% |
| 1999 | 189.04 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 199.29 terawatt-hours | +5.4% |
| 2001 | 207 terawatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 205.54 terawatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 207.29 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 209.85 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 210.02 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 216.85 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 222.9 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 226.26 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 229.74 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 228.81 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 225.67 terawatt-hours | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 220.39 terawatt-hours | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 214.03 terawatt-hours | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 214.89 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 218.19 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 216.49 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 219.78 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 213.14 terawatt-hours | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 210.64 terawatt-hours | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 200.87 terawatt-hours | -4.6% |
| 2021 | 190.18 terawatt-hours | -5.3% |
| 2022 | 185.48 terawatt-hours | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 178.04 terawatt-hours | -4.0% |
| 2024 | 182.85 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 2025 | 175.76 terawatt-hours | -3.9% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 175.76 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.3 terawatt-hours, 40.9× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Australia's 175.76 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.21 terawatt-hours, 24.4× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 117.54 terawatt-hours | 105.54 terawatt-hours | 131.71 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1990s | 159.01 terawatt-hours | 139.4 terawatt-hours | 189.04 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 213.47 terawatt-hours | 199.29 terawatt-hours | 229.74 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 218.2 terawatt-hours | 210.64 terawatt-hours | 228.81 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 185.53 terawatt-hours | 175.76 terawatt-hours | 200.87 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More energy & mining data for Australia
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.4235 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 11.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from fossil fuels in Australia?
- Electricity generation from fossil fuels in Australia was 175.76 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation from fossil fuels recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 229.74 terawatt-hours in 2009.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from fossil fuels recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 105.54 terawatt-hours in 1985.
- How does Australia rank for electricity generation from fossil fuels?
- Australia ranks 16th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from fossil fuels rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation from fossil fuels. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Electricity generation from coal, oil, and gas, measured in terawatt-hours.