Electricity generation from fossil fuels in United States
United States: Electricity generation from fossil fuels was 2,576 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
2,576 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
2nd
of 214 countries
All-time high
2,988 terawatt-hours
in 2007
All-time low
1,904 terawatt-hours
in 1986
Years of data
41
1985–2025
Electricity generation from fossil fuels in United States, 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 United States is 2,576 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from fossil fuels in United States peaked at 2,988 terawatt-hours in 2007 and was at its lowest, 1,904 terawatt-hours, in 1986.
United States ranks 2nd 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 United States, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1,929 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 1,904 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 1,995 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 1988 | 2,089 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 2,267 terawatt-hours | +8.6% |
| 1990 | 2,262 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 2,262 terawatt-hours | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 2,300 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 2,399 terawatt-hours | +4.3% |
| 1994 | 2,441 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 2,467 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 2,523 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 2,613 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 2,739 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 2,763 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 2,697 terawatt-hours | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 2,679 terawatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 2,728 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 2,756 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 2,818 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 2,900 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 2,879 terawatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 2,988 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 2,924 terawatt-hours | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 2,725 terawatt-hours | -6.8% |
| 2010 | 2,882 terawatt-hours | +5.8% |
| 2011 | 2,789 terawatt-hours | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 2,779 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 2,746 terawatt-hours | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 2,752 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 2,730 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 2,657 terawatt-hours | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 2,540 terawatt-hours | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 2,661 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 2,588 terawatt-hours | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 2,432 terawatt-hours | -6.0% |
| 2021 | 2,512 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 2,557 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 2,514 terawatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 2,553 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 2,576 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 2,576 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.3 terawatt-hours, 599.1× the median. (75 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2,037 terawatt-hours | 1,904 terawatt-hours | 2,267 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1990s | 2,477 terawatt-hours | 2,262 terawatt-hours | 2,763 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,809 terawatt-hours | 2,679 terawatt-hours | 2,988 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,713 terawatt-hours | 2,540 terawatt-hours | 2,882 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,524 terawatt-hours | 2,432 terawatt-hours | 2,576 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More energy & mining data for United States
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 1.94 % 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 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 7.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from fossil fuels in United States?
- Electricity generation from fossil fuels in United States was 2,576 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 2,988 terawatt-hours in 2007.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from fossil fuels recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,904 terawatt-hours in 1986.
- How does United States rank for electricity generation from fossil fuels?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from fossil fuels rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.