Contents
- Global energy investment statistics: Total spending and financing in 2025–2026
- Global energy investment statistics: Renewable, grid and storage investment
- Global energy investment statistics: Renewable investment by region
- Global energy investment statistics: Regional renewable investment shares and per-capita figures
- Global energy investment: Renewable investment by technology and other transition sectors
- Sources
Global energy investment statistics: Total spending and financing in 2025–2026
Global energy investment spans projects with different purposes and financing structures, so headline totals need their stated scope and period. The International Energy Agency estimates worldwide energy investment at $3.4 trillion in 2026, a projected increase of 5%. Within that estimate, around $2.2 trillion is expected to go collectively to renewables, nuclear, grids, storage, low-emissions fuels, efficiency and electrification. The IEA expects $1.2 trillion to flow to oil, natural gas and coal, including both supply and generation investment. These are estimates for 2026, not final accounting of completed spending. Source: IEA, Global Energy Investment and Finance
The IEA also says electricity-related spending makes up nearly 60% of all global energy investment. The passage does not give that share a measurement year, so it should not be treated as a separately dated 2026 result. It is a reported feature of the overall investment picture. Source: IEA, Global Energy Investment and Finance
| Measure | Value | Period and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide energy investment | $3.4 trillion; up 5% | 2026 estimate |
| Investment across listed transition sectors | Around $2.2 trillion | 2026 estimate |
| Oil, natural gas and coal investment | $1.2 trillion | 2026 estimate; supply and generation |
| Electricity-related share | Nearly 60% | Measurement year not specified |
Source for all table figures: IEA, Global Energy Investment and Finance
Financing observations for 2025 compare two economy groupings. Commercial sources financed 85% of energy projects in advanced economies and 67% in emerging and developing economies. Those percentages refer to the share of projects financed commercially within each group, not to each group’s share of global investment dollars. Separately, energy-sector debt financing expanded by 10% in 2025. Source: IEA, Global Energy Investment and Finance
These measures describe different parts of the energy finance landscape: the investment totals are dollar estimates, commercial financing figures are project shares, and the debt figure is a reported change. They should not be added together or read as equivalent indicators. The IEA’s distinctions also matter when comparing broad transition spending with fossil-fuel supply and generation investment. Source: IEA, Global Energy Investment and Finance
Global energy investment statistics: Renewable, grid and storage investment
A historical measure from IRENA and the Climate Policy Initiative puts global investment in energy-transition technologies at $2.4 trillion in 2024, 20% above the average annual level in 2022/2023. Within the report’s renewable investment tracking, global renewable investment reached $807 billion in 2024, 22% above the 2022/2023 annual average. The renewable total is based on project final investment decisions (FIDs), which the report refers to as investments. This basis is distinct from measures based on installed capacity or deployment. Source: IRENA and CPI, Global Landscape of Energy Transition Finance 2025, p. 18
Of renewable investment tracked through FIDs, $773 billion went to the power sector in 2024. Projects for direct use of renewables in heating and transport received $10 billion, or 1%. Keeping these categories separate shows where the report recorded renewable project investment: power generation and direct-use applications are not the same activity. Source: IRENA and CPI, Global Landscape of Energy Transition Finance 2025, p. 18
| Renewable investment measure | Value | Period and basis |
|---|---|---|
| Energy-transition technology investment | $2.4 trillion; up 20% | 2024 vs. 2022/2023 annual average |
| Renewable investment | $807 billion; up 22% | 2024; project FIDs |
| Power-sector renewable investment | $773 billion | 2024; project FIDs |
| Direct use in heating and transport | $10 billion; 1% | 2024; project FIDs |
Battery energy-storage investment reached $54 billion globally in 2024. The report puts this 73% above the average investment in 2022/2023 and more than 11 times the 2019/2020 levels. The country shares in the report use related but not identical descriptions: China accounted for 40% of global investment in energy-storage projects, the United States accounted for 29% of global battery-storage investment, and Germany accounted for 11% of global energy-storage investment. All are 2024 figures, and the wording of each denominator is retained here. Source: IRENA and CPI, Global Landscape of Energy Transition Finance 2025, p. 21
The storage figures describe investment, not installed storage capacity or electricity output. The report supplies a global amount and comparative benchmarks, along with investment destination shares for the 3 named countries. They should be interpreted within their stated categories rather than as comparable measures of national storage deployment. Source: IRENA and CPI, Global Landscape of Energy Transition Finance 2025, p. 21
Global energy investment statistics: Renewable investment by region
The regional summary reports 2024 renewable investment across 8 regions. China’s $352 billion was the largest listed amount, followed by Europe at $137 billion and the combined North America and Oceania grouping at $122 billion. Asia excluding China received $93 billion. The remaining listed amounts were $44 billion in Latin America and the Caribbean, $21 billion in the Middle East and North Africa, and $18 billion each in Sub-Saharan Africa and Eurasia. Source: IRENA and CPI, Global Landscape of Energy Transition Finance 2025, p. 8
| Region | Renewable investment, 2024 (USD billions) |
|---|---|
| China | $352 |
| Europe | $137 |
| North America and Oceania | $122 |
| Asia excluding China | $93 |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | $44 |
| Middle East and North Africa | $21 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $18 |
| Eurasia | $18 |
These are the report’s regional categories, including a combined North America and Oceania entry and an Asia entry that explicitly excludes China. The figures represent renewable investment amounts in USD billions for 2024. They do not describe installed renewable capacity, generation, or a current-year total. Source: IRENA and CPI, Global Landscape of Energy Transition Finance 2025, p. 8
Global energy investment statistics: Regional renewable investment shares and per-capita figures
Regional shares put the investment amounts in a global context. China represented 44% of global renewable investment in 2024; Europe accounted for 17%, North America and Oceania 15%, and Asia excluding China 11.5%. The shares reported for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and Eurasia were 5.4%, 2.6%, 2.3% and 2.2%, respectively. These are shares of global renewable investment, not shares of regional energy production or renewable capacity. Source: IRENA and CPI, Global Landscape of Energy Transition Finance 2025, p. 8
Per-capita values offer a separate view, reported as 2024 USD per person. Renewable investment per capita was $248 in China, $229 in Europe, and $219 in North America and Oceania. Sub-Saharan Africa’s reported figure was $15 per person. These figures have a different denominator from total regional investment and global investment share; they express investment per person in each regional grouping. Source: IRENA and CPI, Global Landscape of Energy Transition Finance 2025, p. 8
| Region | Share of global renewable investment, 2024 |
|---|---|
| China | 44% |
| Europe | 17% |
| North America and Oceania | 15% |
| Asia excluding China | 11.5% |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 5.4% |
| Middle East and North Africa | 2.6% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 2.3% |
| Eurasia | 2.2% |
In this summary, regional shares and per-capita figures are complementary measures, not interchangeable ones. The first answers how much of global renewable investment is attributed to a region; the second reports a regional amount in USD for each person. The source labels the per-capita values in 2024 USD, so those units and year remain attached to the figures. Source: IRENA and CPI, Global Landscape of Energy Transition Finance 2025, p. 8
Global energy investment: Renewable investment by technology and other transition sectors
The technology breakdown for 2024 assigns 69% of global renewable investment to solar PV, 19% to onshore wind, 5% to offshore wind, and 7% to other renewable technologies. The figure covers power and end-use investment. Its other category includes bioenergy, geothermal power, hydropower and marine energy. The report notes that these technology investment values are estimates based on 2023 CPI data and 2023–2024 trends from BNEF. Source: IRENA and CPI, Global Landscape of Energy Transition Finance 2025, p. 39
| Technology group | Share of global renewable investment, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Solar PV | 69% |
| Onshore wind | 19% |
| Offshore wind | 5% |
| Other renewable technologies | 7% |
Technology-specific amounts add detail to the shares. Onshore wind investment reached $157 billion in 2024, which the report identifies as a record high. Offshore wind investment fell by 45% to $39 billion. Investment in hydropower, bioenergy, geothermal power and marine energy fell to $19 billion. Together, those technologies received 2% of total renewable investment in 2024, down from 5% in 2022/2023. The amount and share describe the same named group of technologies, while the broader technology figure’s 7% category is reported separately in the report’s 2024 breakdown. Source: IRENA and CPI, Global Landscape of Energy Transition Finance 2025, p. 47
Together, the technology observations distinguish shares from dollar amounts and from changes over time. The report provides a 2024 share breakdown, selected technology investment amounts and stated comparisons with earlier periods. The figures document those reported measures; they do not establish what caused the changes. Source: IRENA and CPI, Global Landscape of Energy Transition Finance 2025, pp. 39, 47