Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels was 35.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
35.6%
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
149th
of 213 countries
All-time high
99.8%
in 1925
All-time low
35.1%
in 2024
Years of data
106
1920–2025
Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in United Kingdom, 1920–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in United Kingdom stood at 35.6%.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 34.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in United Kingdom peaked at 99.8% in 1925 and was at its lowest, 35.1%, in 2024.
United Kingdom ranks 149th of 213 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 fossil fuels in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 99.7% | — |
| 1921 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 99.8% | -0.0% |
| 1923 | 99.7% | -0.0% |
| 1924 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 99.6% | -0.2% |
| 1927 | 98.8% | -0.8% |
| 1928 | 98.7% | -0.2% |
| 1929 | 95.5% | -3.3% |
| 1930 | 94.7% | -0.8% |
| 1931 | 95.2% | +0.5% |
| 1932 | 95.9% | +0.7% |
| 1933 | 95.7% | -0.3% |
| 1934 | 95.4% | -0.3% |
| 1935 | 95.8% | +0.4% |
| 1936 | 95.6% | -0.1% |
| 1937 | 95.0% | -0.6% |
| 1938 | 95.2% | +0.2% |
| 1939 | 96.2% | +1.0% |
| 1940 | 96.4% | +0.3% |
| 1941 | 95.9% | -0.6% |
| 1942 | 95.4% | -0.5% |
| 1943 | 95.9% | +0.6% |
| 1944 | 95.9% | -0.0% |
| 1945 | 96.2% | +0.3% |
| 1946 | 96.7% | +0.6% |
| 1947 | 97.0% | +0.3% |
| 1948 | 96.6% | -0.4% |
| 1949 | 96.1% | -0.6% |
| 1950 | 96.1% | -0.0% |
| 1951 | 95.8% | -0.3% |
| 1952 | 95.8% | -0.0% |
| 1953 | 95.2% | -0.6% |
| 1954 | 96.4% | +1.3% |
| 1955 | 96.2% | -0.2% |
| 1956 | 95.7% | -0.6% |
| 1957 | 95.9% | +0.2% |
| 1958 | 95.1% | -0.8% |
| 1959 | 95.1% | -0.0% |
| 1960 | 94.6% | -0.5% |
| 1961 | 94.3% | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 93.5% | -0.8% |
| 1963 | 92.6% | -1.0% |
| 1964 | 89.5% | -3.4% |
| 1965 | 87.2% | -2.6% |
| 1966 | 85.4% | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 85.8% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 86.2% | +0.5% |
| 1969 | 87.7% | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 87.9% | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 87.7% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 88.8% | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 86.4% | -2.7% |
| 1974 | 87.4% | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 85.8% | -1.8% |
| 1976 | 84.7% | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 85.7% | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 85.9% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 85.7% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 84.9% | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 82.3% | -3.0% |
| 1982 | 80.4% | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 79.5% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 77.9% | -2.1% |
| 1985 | 76.6% | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 77.8% | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 79.7% | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 76.6% | -3.9% |
| 1989 | 74.5% | -2.8% |
| 1990 | 77.6% | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 76.5% | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 74.1% | -3.2% |
| 1993 | 70.6% | -4.8% |
| 1994 | 70.8% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 71.7% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 71.4% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 70.0% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 70.2% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 71.5% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 74.8% | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 74.1% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 74.4% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 75.0% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 76.1% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 75.3% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 76.5% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 79.2% | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 80.9% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 75.0% | -7.3% |
| 2010 | 76.9% | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 71.7% | -6.8% |
| 2012 | 69.3% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 65.4% | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 62.1% | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 54.6% | -12.0% |
| 2016 | 54.4% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 50.0% | -8.1% |
| 2018 | 47.5% | -4.9% |
| 2019 | 46.2% | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 40.7% | -11.9% |
| 2021 | 45.2% | +11.0% |
| 2022 | 43.8% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 39.7% | -9.2% |
| 2024 | 35.1% | -11.8% |
| 2025 | 35.6% | +1.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 35.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 60.0%, 59% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 35.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 28.1%, 1.3× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 99.1% | 95.5% | 99.8% | 10 |
| 1930s | 95.5% | 94.7% | 96.2% | 10 |
| 1940s | 96.2% | 95.4% | 97.0% | 10 |
| 1950s | 95.7% | 95.1% | 96.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 89.7% | 85.4% | 94.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 86.6% | 84.7% | 88.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 79.0% | 74.5% | 84.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 72.4% | 70.0% | 77.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.1% | 74.1% | 80.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.8% | 46.2% | 76.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.0% | 35.1% | 45.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More energy & mining data for United Kingdom
- Primary energy from fossil nuclear renewables, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fuel imports 8.1% (2025)
- Ores and metals imports 3.3% (2025)
- Fuel exports 7.2% (2025)
- Ores and metals exports 5.7% (2025)
- Gas production 299.32 terawatt-hours (2025)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 4,304 kilowatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 299.32 terawatt-hours (2025)
- Gas production per person 4,304 kilowatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in United Kingdom?
- Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in United Kingdom was 35.6% 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 fossil fuels recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 1925.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from fossil fuels recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.1% in 2024.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of electricity generation from fossil fuels?
- United Kingdom ranks 149th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from fossil fuels rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.9%. 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 fossil fuels. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Electricity generation from coal, oil, and gas, measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.