On 10 November the Energy Institute published its Country Transition Tracker, timed to coincide with the start of COP 30 in Brazil. The Tracker, which draws on data from the Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy 2025, outlines the progress being made from country to country toward the targets of the Paris Agreement, and points up the complicated nature of the global transition.
Highlights of the Country Transition Tracker include:
- Over 60% of countries featured in the Statistical Review of World Energy cut energy-related emissions since 2017, but their combined 22% drop is still less than China’s increase;
- France is the first among the top 20 energy consumers to source 50% of its energy from low-carbon sources;
- Despite global fossil fuel growth, 51 of 79 countries reduced fossil fuel use compared to 2017;
- France, Brazil, Canada, and Spain now generate over 75% of electricity from low-carbon sources, leading power grid decarbonisation;
- 49 countries have lowered per capita energy use since 2017; the lowest 10 are all in the global South. Iceland now tops per capita energy consumption, overtaking Qatar;
- 82% of countries improved the carbon intensity of energy use, emitting less greenhouse gases per unit of energy;
- 80% of nations reduced energy intensity per GDP, with European countries among the most efficient due to outsourcing heavy industry.
The data covers 80 countries, accounting for over 96% of global energy use and 95% of related emissions. It tracks progress since 2017, that is, following the Paris Agreement, across eight transition indicators, offering an independent, data-driven view of global energy shifts. The tracker provides annual updates between the UN’s five-year stocktakes, focusing on three areas: decarbonisation, efficiency, and access. Key metrics include renewable energy share, emissions, per capita consumption, and energy intensity.
The Energy Institute’s chief executive Dr Nick Wayth CEng FEI, commented: “Expanding on the insights from the Statistical Review of World Energy, the Country Transition Tracker reveals the disorderly nature of the global transition at a local level. While there has been encouraging progress toward meeting the Paris climate goals, the data underscores the urgent need for more decisive and accelerated action.
“The results also emphasise that, like climate change, although the energy transition is a shared global challenge, each nation and region must navigate its own distinct set of obstacles.
“And if there is one country shaping the future energy transition, it is China. In 2024 China added more than 2.5 times the renewable generation as the USA, Europe, and India combined, and hosts nearly half the world’s installed capacity of solar and wind. But it is also the world’s largest source of emissions.
“As the discussions continue in Brazil this year, I hope these data offers policymakers, energy professionals, and analysts, deeper insight into the opportunities that lie ahead.”
