Electricity generation from fossil fuels in France
France: Electricity generation from fossil fuels was 29.35 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
29.35 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
49th
of 214 countries
All-time high
65.47 terawatt-hours
in 2017
All-time low
28.66 terawatt-hours
in 2024
Years of data
41
1985–2025
Electricity generation from fossil fuels in France, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for electricity generation from fossil fuels in France is 29.35 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and down 34.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from fossil fuels in France peaked at 65.47 terawatt-hours in 2017 and was at its lowest, 28.66 terawatt-hours, in 2024.
That places France 49th out of 214 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Electricity generation from fossil fuels in France, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 51.66 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 39.43 terawatt-hours | -23.7% |
| 1987 | 35.7 terawatt-hours | -9.5% |
| 1988 | 33.09 terawatt-hours | -7.3% |
| 1989 | 47.11 terawatt-hours | +42.4% |
| 1990 | 47.34 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 60.57 terawatt-hours | +27.9% |
| 1992 | 50.47 terawatt-hours | -16.7% |
| 1993 | 34.61 terawatt-hours | -31.4% |
| 1994 | 33.67 terawatt-hours | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 38.52 terawatt-hours | +14.4% |
| 1996 | 43.35 terawatt-hours | +12.5% |
| 1997 | 39.04 terawatt-hours | -9.9% |
| 1998 | 54.5 terawatt-hours | +39.6% |
| 1999 | 51.59 terawatt-hours | -5.3% |
| 2000 | 49.57 terawatt-hours | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 45.43 terawatt-hours | -8.4% |
| 2002 | 51.79 terawatt-hours | +14.0% |
| 2003 | 56.59 terawatt-hours | +9.3% |
| 2004 | 55.64 terawatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 62.63 terawatt-hours | +12.6% |
| 2006 | 56.2 terawatt-hours | -10.3% |
| 2007 | 57.81 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 55.2 terawatt-hours | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 50.98 terawatt-hours | -7.6% |
| 2010 | 57.16 terawatt-hours | +12.1% |
| 2011 | 59.24 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 56.92 terawatt-hours | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 53.64 terawatt-hours | -5.8% |
| 2014 | 35.8 terawatt-hours | -33.3% |
| 2015 | 44.87 terawatt-hours | +25.3% |
| 2016 | 56.64 terawatt-hours | +26.2% |
| 2017 | 65.47 terawatt-hours | +15.6% |
| 2018 | 49.45 terawatt-hours | -24.5% |
| 2019 | 53.61 terawatt-hours | +8.4% |
| 2020 | 48.39 terawatt-hours | -9.7% |
| 2021 | 48.85 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 60.35 terawatt-hours | +23.5% |
| 2023 | 41.06 terawatt-hours | -32.0% |
| 2024 | 28.66 terawatt-hours | -30.2% |
| 2025 | 29.35 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 29.35 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.3 terawatt-hours, 6.8× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- France's 29.35 terawatt-hours is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 8.15 terawatt-hours, 3.6× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 41.4 terawatt-hours | 33.09 terawatt-hours | 51.66 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1990s | 45.37 terawatt-hours | 33.67 terawatt-hours | 60.57 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 54.18 terawatt-hours | 45.43 terawatt-hours | 62.63 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.28 terawatt-hours | 35.8 terawatt-hours | 65.47 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.78 terawatt-hours | 28.66 terawatt-hours | 60.35 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near France
More energy & mining data for France
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 0.2519 % 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 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 12.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from fossil fuels in France?
- Electricity generation from fossil fuels in France was 29.35 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 65.47 terawatt-hours in 2017.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from fossil fuels recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.66 terawatt-hours in 2024.
- How does France rank for electricity generation from fossil fuels?
- France ranks 49th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from fossil fuels rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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.