Energy
Charted: 40 Years of Global Energy Production, by Country
Article/Editing:
Energy was already a hot topic before 2022, but soaring household energy bills and a cost of living crisis has brought it even more to the forefront.
Which countries are the biggest energy producers, and what types of energy are they churning out? This graphic by 911 Metallurgist gives a breakdown of global energy production, showing which countries have used the most fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewable energy since 1980.
All figures refer to the British thermal unit (BTU), equivalent to the heat required to heat one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.
Editor’s note: Click on any graphic to see a full-width version that is higher resolution
1. Fossil Fuels
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While the U.S. is a dominant player in both oil and natural gas production, China holds the top spot as the world’s largest fossil fuel producer, largely because of its significant production and consumption of coal.
Over the last decade, China has used more coal than the rest of the world, combined.
However, it’s worth noting that the country’s fossil fuel consumption and production have dipped in recent years, ever since the government launched a five-year plan back in 2014 to help reduce carbon emissions.
2. Nuclear Power
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The U.S. is the world’s largest producer of nuclear power by far, generating about double the amount of nuclear energy as France, the second-largest producer.
While nuclear power provides a carbon-free alternative to fossil fuels, the nuclear disaster in Fukushima caused many countries to move away from the energy source, which is why global use has dipped in recent years.
Despite the fact that many countries have recently pivoted away from nuclear energy, it still powers about 10% of the world’s electricity. It’s also possible that nuclear energy will play an expanded role in the energy mix going forward, since decarbonization has emerged as a top priority for nations around the world.
3. Renewable Energy
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Renewable energy sources (including wind, hydro, and solar) account for about 23% of electricity production worldwide. China leads the front on renewable production, while the U.S. comes in second place.
While renewable energy production has ramped up in recent years, more countries will need to ramp up their renewable energy production in order to reach net-zero targets by 2050.
This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Green
Mapped: Global Hydrogen Production by Region
We map global hydrogren by region, and also break production down into blue vs. green hydrogen types.
Blue and Green Hydrogen Production by Region in 2023
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Hydrogen production is becoming increasingly important for decarbonization efforts as it offers a clean and versatile alternative to fossil fuels, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In this visualization, we map the total kilotons of hydrogen produced by each region in 2023, broken down by blue and green hydrogen.
Hydrogen production data comes from Energy Institute’s 2024 Statistical Review of World Energy report.
Blue and Green Hydrogen Explained
Hydrogen doesn’t exist freely in nature and must be produced from other energy sources, making it an energy carrier rather than an energy source.
As a clean-burning fuel, hydrogen generates heat and electricity when combined with oxygen in a fuel cell, producing only water vapor as a by-product.
Blue hydrogen production involves generating hydrogen from natural gas and steam, with carbon capture technology used to capture the resulting carbon emissions.
Green hydrogen production uses renewable energy to power electrolysis, a process that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, resulting in no carbon emissions.
Along with blue and green hydrogen, there are a few other “colors” of hydrogen that denote differences in their production processes and energy sources.
Blue Hydrogen Dominates Global Production
Blue hydrogen production is currently much more prevalent than green hydrogen because it leverages existing natural gas infrastructure, making it easier and more cost-effective to produce compared to green hydrogen.
As a result, the world produced significantly more blue hydrogen than green hydrogen in 2023, with 4,687.3 kilotons of blue hydrogen produced and only 147.6 kilotons of green hydrogen produced.
| Region | Blue hydrogen production in 2023 (kilotons) | Green hydrogen production in 2023 (kilotons) | Total hydrogen production in 2023 (kilotons) |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 2,091.6 | 19.4 | 2,111.0 |
| South and Central America | 0 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Europe | 44.1 | 31.6 | 75.8 |
| Middle East | 621.9 | 0.1 | 622.0 |
| Africa | - | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Asia Pacific | 1,929.7 | 93.6 | 2,023.3 |
| World Totals | 4,687.3 | 147.6 | 4,834.9 |
Green hydrogen is expensive primarily due to the high costs of renewable energy needed for electrolysis and the current inefficiencies in the technology. Additionally, the electrolysis process itself is energy-intensive, contributing to overall costs.
North America and the Asia Pacific regions are neck and neck when it comes to blue hydrogen production, both producing around 2,000 kilotons as of 2023. However, Asia Pacific is ahead in the green hydrogen race with 93.6 kilotons, far more than any other region.
China is scaling up green hydrogen production significantly. Sinopec, a Chinese oil and gas company, has made multiple billion-dollar investments into green hydrogen projects in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang.
In 2024, Japan-based Mitsubishi Corporation announced plans to invest $690 million in partnership with Dutch renewable energy company Eneco to develop the Eneco Electrolyzer, the world’s largest green hydrogen production plant in the Netherlands.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
To learn more about regional energy production over time, check out this graphic that shows the growth of renewable energy capacity over time by region.
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