Share of electricity generation from coal in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of electricity generation from coal was 0.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
0.1%
Change on year
down 83.1%
World rank
82nd
of 210 countries
All-time high
99.0%
in 1926
All-time low
0.1%
in 2025
Years of data
106
1920–2025
Share of electricity generation from coal in United Kingdom, 1920–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 0.1% for share of electricity generation from coal in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 106 years on record.
That represents a change of down 83.1% on the previous year and down 99.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from coal in United Kingdom peaked at 99.0% in 1926 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2025.
United Kingdom ranks 82nd of 210 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 106 years of available data.
Share of electricity generation from coal in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 97.0% | — |
| 1921 | 98.5% | +1.5% |
| 1922 | 98.4% | -0.1% |
| 1923 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 1924 | 98.9% | +0.4% |
| 1925 | 97.5% | -1.3% |
| 1926 | 99.0% | +1.5% |
| 1927 | 98.2% | -0.8% |
| 1928 | 98.1% | -0.1% |
| 1929 | 95.0% | -3.2% |
| 1930 | 94.2% | -0.8% |
| 1931 | 94.7% | +0.5% |
| 1932 | 95.4% | +0.8% |
| 1933 | 95.3% | -0.1% |
| 1934 | 95.1% | -0.3% |
| 1935 | 95.5% | +0.4% |
| 1936 | 95.4% | -0.1% |
| 1937 | 94.8% | -0.6% |
| 1938 | 95.0% | +0.2% |
| 1939 | 95.9% | +1.0% |
| 1940 | 96.3% | +0.4% |
| 1941 | 95.7% | -0.6% |
| 1942 | 95.3% | -0.5% |
| 1943 | 95.8% | +0.5% |
| 1944 | 95.7% | -0.0% |
| 1945 | 96.0% | +0.2% |
| 1946 | 96.3% | +0.4% |
| 1947 | 96.6% | +0.3% |
| 1948 | 96.1% | -0.5% |
| 1949 | 95.7% | -0.5% |
| 1950 | 95.7% | -0.0% |
| 1951 | 95.5% | -0.2% |
| 1952 | 95.3% | -0.2% |
| 1953 | 94.5% | -0.9% |
| 1954 | 95.6% | +1.2% |
| 1955 | 94.9% | -0.7% |
| 1956 | 93.6% | -1.4% |
| 1957 | 87.5% | -6.5% |
| 1958 | 82.3% | -5.9% |
| 1959 | 80.3% | -2.5% |
| 1960 | 81.4% | +1.3% |
| 1961 | 81.7% | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 83.3% | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 81.6% | -2.0% |
| 1964 | 77.1% | -5.6% |
| 1965 | 73.5% | -4.6% |
| 1966 | 71.7% | -2.5% |
| 1967 | 74.5% | +4.0% |
| 1968 | 72.3% | -3.0% |
| 1969 | 67.5% | -6.5% |
| 1970 | 64.1% | -5.1% |
| 1971 | 56.4% | -12.0% |
| 1972 | 63.0% | +11.7% |
| 1973 | 56.2% | -10.8% |
| 1974 | 63.4% | +12.7% |
| 1975 | 67.0% | +5.7% |
| 1976 | 66.5% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 67.0% | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 69.7% | +4.0% |
| 1979 | 74.2% | +6.5% |
| 1980 | 76.4% | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 72.1% | -5.7% |
| 1982 | 72.4% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 46.3% | -36.1% |
| 1984 | 61.4% | +32.6% |
| 1985 | 59.4% | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 66.9% | +12.5% |
| 1987 | 69.5% | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 65.9% | -5.2% |
| 1989 | 63.6% | -3.5% |
| 1990 | 64.6% | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 65.5% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 60.3% | -7.9% |
| 1993 | 53.0% | -12.1% |
| 1994 | 49.4% | -6.8% |
| 1995 | 46.0% | -6.9% |
| 1996 | 42.0% | -8.8% |
| 1997 | 34.8% | -17.1% |
| 1998 | 33.9% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 28.8% | -14.9% |
| 2000 | 31.8% | +10.3% |
| 2001 | 34.2% | +7.4% |
| 2002 | 32.1% | -6.1% |
| 2003 | 34.8% | +8.3% |
| 2004 | 33.5% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 33.8% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 37.5% | +10.9% |
| 2007 | 34.3% | -8.6% |
| 2008 | 32.0% | -6.7% |
| 2009 | 27.3% | -14.5% |
| 2010 | 28.2% | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 29.5% | +4.6% |
| 2012 | 39.2% | +33.2% |
| 2013 | 36.4% | -7.4% |
| 2014 | 29.6% | -18.4% |
| 2015 | 22.4% | -24.5% |
| 2016 | 9.0% | -59.6% |
| 2017 | 6.7% | -26.3% |
| 2018 | 5.0% | -24.3% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | -58.1% |
| 2020 | 1.8% | -13.1% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | +20.1% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | -17.0% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | -29.4% |
| 2024 | 0.7% | -48.3% |
| 2025 | 0.1% | -83.1% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 0.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.3%, 35% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of electricity generation from coal in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | -83.1% | 0.7% | 0.1% |
| 2016 | -59.6% | 22.4% | 9.0% |
| 2019 | -58.1% | 5.0% | 2.1% |
| 2024 | -48.3% | 1.3% | 0.7% |
| 1983 | -36.1% | 72.4% | 46.3% |
| 2012 | +33.2% | 29.5% | 39.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 97.9% | 95.0% | 99.0% | 10 |
| 1930s | 95.1% | 94.2% | 95.9% | 10 |
| 1940s | 95.9% | 95.3% | 96.6% | 10 |
| 1950s | 91.5% | 80.3% | 95.7% | 10 |
| 1960s | 76.4% | 67.5% | 83.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 64.8% | 56.2% | 74.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 65.4% | 46.3% | 76.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.8% | 28.8% | 65.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 33.1% | 27.3% | 37.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.8% | 2.1% | 39.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 0.1% | 2.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 79 France 0.3% compare
- 80 Finland 0.2% compare
- 81 Iran 0.2% compare
- 83 Belarus 0.0% compare
- 84 Peru 0.0% compare
- 85 Albania 0.0%
- 85 Algeria 0.0%
- 85 American Samoa 0.0%
- 85 Angola 0.0%
- 85 Antigua and Barbuda 0.0%
- 85 Armenia 0.0%
- 85 Aruba 0.0%
- 85 Austria 0.0% compare
- 85 Azerbaijan 0.0%
- 85 Bahamas 0.0%
- 85 Bahrain 0.0%
- 85 Barbados 0.0%
- 85 Belgium 0.0% compare
- 85 Belize 0.0%
- 85 Benin 0.0%
- 85 Bermuda 0.0%
- 85 Bhutan 0.0%
- 85 Bolivia 0.0%
- 85 British Virgin Islands 0.0%
- 85 Burkina Faso 0.0%
- 85 Burundi 0.0%
- 85 Cameroon 0.0%
- 85 Cape Verde 0.0%
- 85 Cayman Islands 0.0%
- 85 Central African Republic 0.0%
- 85 Chad 0.0%
- 85 Comoros 0.0%
- 85 Congo 0.0%
- 85 Cook Islands 0.0%
- 85 Costa Rica 0.0%
- 85 Cote d'Ivoire 0.0%
- 85 Cuba 0.0%
- 85 Cyprus 0.0%
- 85 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.0%
- 85 Djibouti 0.0%
- 85 Dominica 0.0%
- 85 East Timor 0.0%
- 85 Ecuador 0.0%
- 85 Egypt 0.0%
- 85 Equatorial Guinea 0.0%
- 85 Eritrea 0.0%
- 85 Estonia 0.0% compare
- 85 Ethiopia 0.0%
- 85 Falkland Islands 0.0%
- 85 Faroe Islands 0.0%
- 85 Fiji 0.0%
- 85 French Polynesia 0.0%
- 85 Gabon 0.0%
- 85 Gambia 0.0%
- 85 Georgia 0.0% compare
- 85 Ghana 0.0%
- 85 Gibraltar 0.0%
- 85 Greenland 0.0%
- 85 Grenada 0.0%
- 85 Guam 0.0%
- 85 Guinea 0.0%
- 85 Guinea-Bissau 0.0%
- 85 Guyana 0.0%
- 85 Haiti 0.0%
- 85 Iceland 0.0%
- 85 Iraq 0.0%
- 85 Jamaica 0.0%
- 85 Jordan 0.0%
- 85 Kenya 0.0%
- 85 Kiribati 0.0%
- 85 Kuwait 0.0%
- 85 Latvia 0.0%
- 85 Lebanon 0.0%
- 85 Lesotho 0.0%
- 85 Liberia 0.0%
- 85 Libya 0.0%
- 85 Lithuania 0.0%
- 85 Luxembourg 0.0%
- 85 Macao 0.0%
- 85 Malawi 0.0%
- 85 Maldives 0.0%
- 85 Mali 0.0%
- 85 Malta 0.0% compare
- 85 Mauritania 0.0%
- 85 Moldova 0.0%
- 85 Montserrat 0.0%
- 85 Mozambique 0.0%
- 85 Nauru 0.0%
- 85 Nepal 0.0%
- 85 Nicaragua 0.0%
- 85 Nigeria 0.0%
- 85 Norway 0.0% compare
- 85 Oman 0.0%
- 85 Palestine 0.0%
- 85 Papua New Guinea 0.0%
- 85 Paraguay 0.0%
- 85 Portugal 0.0% compare
- 85 Qatar 0.0%
- 85 Saint Helena 0.0%
- 85 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.0%
- 85 Saint Lucia 0.0%
- 85 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0.0%
- 85 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.0%
- 85 Samoa 0.0%
- 85 Sao Tome and Principe 0.0%
- 85 Saudi Arabia 0.0%
- 85 Seychelles 0.0%
- 85 Sierra Leone 0.0%
- 85 Solomon Islands 0.0%
- 85 Somalia 0.0%
- 85 South Sudan 0.0%
- 85 Sudan 0.0%
- 85 Suriname 0.0%
- 85 Sweden 0.0% compare
- 85 Switzerland 0.0%
- 85 Syria 0.0%
- 85 Tanzania 0.0% compare
- 85 Togo 0.0%
- 85 Tonga 0.0%
- 85 Trinidad and Tobago 0.0%
- 85 Tunisia 0.0%
- 85 Turkmenistan 0.0%
- 85 Turks and Caicos Islands 0.0%
- 85 Uganda 0.0%
- 85 United Arab Emirates 0.0% compare
- 85 United States Virgin Islands 0.0%
- 85 Uruguay 0.0%
- 85 Vanuatu 0.0%
- 85 Venezuela 0.0%
- 85 Western Sahara 0.0%
- 85 Yemen 0.0%
More energy & mining data for United Kingdom
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -1.3 % 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 (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 8.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from coal in United Kingdom?
- Share of electricity generation from coal in United Kingdom was 0.1% in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity generation from coal recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 99.0% in 1926.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from coal recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2025.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of electricity generation from coal?
- United Kingdom ranks 82nd out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from coal rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 99.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity generation from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 106 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.