Electricity - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2026-2031)

The electricity market size in terms of production volume is expected to increase from 32.20 Petawatt-hour in 2025 to 33.36 Petawatt-hour in 2026 and reach 39.72 Petawatt-hour by 2031, at a CAGR of 3.55% over 2026-2031. This report is segmented by Generation Source (Oil, Natural Gas, Coal, Nuclear Energy, Renewable, Other Sources), Consumer (Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Transportation, Agriculture, Other), Generation Type (Centralized Generation, Distributed Generation), and Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa). The Market Forecasts are Provided in Units (Petawatt-Hour).

Global Electricity Market Trends and Insights

Data Center and AI Load Expansion

AI-oriented servers are expected to consume 175 TWh in 2026, compared with 95 TWh in 2025, which makes data center demand a near-term source of growth for the global electricity market The IEA expects total global data center electricity use to reach 565 TWh in 2026 and approach 945 TWh by 2030 in its base case. This demand is concentrated, so access to reliable networks, prompt interconnection, and clean power is influencing where new facilities are built. Northern Europe, Texas, and Southeast Asia can benefit from permitting and dedicated renewable tariffs that support faster connections. Five large technology companies spent more than USD 400 billion in 2025 and are expected to increase capital spending further in 2026, adding pressure for new generation and network capacity. These investments give electricity suppliers opportunities, but they also raise the risk that local infrastructure falls behind project pipelines.

Industrial and Manufacturing Electrification

Industrial electricity demand is supported by the replacement of fossil-fuel heat with electric equipment and the growth of electricity-intensive manufacturing. Europe’s industrial electrification rose by 1 percentage point in 2024 despite a power mix that was already 72% decarbonized, showing that network capacity and project economics remain important barriers. China’s industrial sector consumed 6,518 TWh in 2025, reflecting the continuing shift of manufacturing capacity toward Asia. Solar module, battery, and electric vehicle manufacturing in China used more than 300 TWh each year from 2022 to 2024. The global electricity market, therefore, depends increasingly on a smaller number of high-load industrial clusters rather than only on broad economic growth. Industrial electrification can strengthen the utilization of clean power, but it also creates localized congestion where factories connect faster than grid upgrades are completed.

Grid Connection Queues and Interconnection Bottlenecks

Grid connection delays remain a central restraint on the global electricity market because projects cannot contribute to supply or serve new load before network studies and upgrades are completed. At the end of 2025, 2,061 GW of generation and storage capacity were seeking interconnection in the United States across almost 8,200 projects. The median wait from application to commercial operation exceeded 5 years. Sequential study processes, cost allocation rules, and staffing limits at system operators have prolonged these queues. FERC reforms increased completed interconnection agreements by 33% in 2024, but the existing backlog remains significant. The same challenge is present in other regions, where project timelines depend on permitting and the pace of investment in transmission.

Other drivers and restraints analyzed in the detailed report include:

• Electric Vehicle and Transport Electrification
• Renewable and Nuclear Capacity Expansion
• Transmission Equipment and Critical Mineral Supply Exposure

Segment Analysis

Coal held 32.6% of the global electricity market share in 2025, making it the largest individual generation source. Coal generation fell by 63 TWh in 2025 as renewable output exceeded coal in the global mix for the first time in more than a century, showing that installed coal capacity and delivered generation can follow different paths. New coal commissioning reached 97.4 GW in 2025, with China accounting for 78.1 GW and India for 10 GW. Hydropower and bioenergy also remain important in countries where local resources support them.

Renewable electricity is the fastest-growing source, with an 8.2% CAGR forecast through 2031. The global electricity market size for renewable generation is supported mainly by solar PV, which added 636 TWh of output in 2025. The IEA expects solar to add close to 600 TWh of generation annually through 2030. Wind and solar reduce fossil generation where their output matches demand, but they require systems that manage variation across hours and seasons. The global electricity industry is adding capacity while increasing its need for flexible operation.

Complete Report Scope:

• By Electricity Generation Source
  • Oil
  • Natural Gas
  • Coal
  • Nuclear energy
  • Renewable
  • Other Sources
• By Electricity Consumer
  • Residential
  • Commercial
  • Industrial
  • Transportation
  • Agriculture
  • Other Consumers
• By Generation Type
  • Centralized Generation
  • Distributed Generation
• By Geography
  • North America
    • United States
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • Europe
    • Germany
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • United Kingdom
    • Poland
    • Russia
    • Rest of Europe
  • Asia-Pacific
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • South Korea
    • Australia
    • Indonesia
    • Vietnam
    • Thailand
    • Rest of Asia-Pacific
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Chile
    • Rest of South America
  • Middle East and Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • United Arab Emirates
    • Egypt
    • South Africa
    • Morocco
    • Rest of Middle East and Africa

Geography Analysis

Asia-Pacific accounted for 51.9% of the global electricity market size in 2025 and is forecast to grow at a 4.5% CAGR through 2031, the highest regional rate. China, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia are the main sources of regional demand and supply expansion. China’s electricity consumption exceeded 10.37 PWh in 2025, while high-technology manufacturing and internet data services showed strong growth in the first half of 2026. NTPC added 9.6 GW in fiscal year 2025-26, including 5.5 GW of renewable capacity, and is targeting 250 GW by fiscal year 2037. Asia-Pacific contributed 74.2% of new global renewable capacity additions in 2025.

North America and Europe together represented one-third of global electricity use and grew at more moderate rates. U.S. electricity consumption increased 2.1% in 2025 and is forecast to rise 2% annually through 2030, with data centers responsible for half of the additional national demand. European electricity consumption rose by less than 1% in 2025 and is not expected to return to its 2021 level until 2028. The European Commission’s Electrification Action Plan supports a medium-term increase in demand, including industrial electrification potential identified at more than 2,000 TWh by 2040/

South America, the Middle East, and Africa offer uneven but material expansion opportunities for the global electricity market. Middle Eastern electricity demand rose 4% in 2025 because of cooling, population growth, and industrial expansion. Saudi Arabia reduced oil burn for power generation by 100,000 barrels per day in 2025 as gas capacity from Jafurah and renewable projects came online. Renewable capacity in Africa increased 15.9% in 2025 and capacity in the Middle East grew 28.9%, although both started from lower levels. Brazil’s hydropower-led system remains exposed to seasonal variation, which sustains a need for thermal backup.

List of Companies Covered in this Report:

• State Grid Corporation of China
• China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd.
• China Energy Investment Corporation Limited
• Électricité de France S.A. (EDF)
• NextEra Energy, Inc.
• Enel S.p.A.
• Iberdrola, S.A.
• E.ON SE
• ENGIE S.A.
• RWE AG
• Duke Energy Corporation
• The Southern Company
• Dominion Energy, Inc.
• Exelon Corporation
• National Grid plc
• NTPC Limited
• Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO)
• China Yangtze Power Co., Ltd.
• Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA)
• Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support