This article provides the most recent statistics on the share of energy from renewable sources overall and in 3 consumption areas (electricity, heating and cooling, and transport) in the European Union (EU). Renewable energy sources include wind power, solar power (thermal, photovoltaic, and concentrated), hydropower, tidal power, geothermal energy, ambient heat captured by heat pumps, biofuels, and the renewable part of waste.

The use of renewable energy has many potential benefits, including a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the diversification of energy supplies, and a reduced dependency on fossil fuel markets (in particular, oil and gas). The growth of renewable energy sources may also stimulate employment in the EU, through the creation of jobs in new ‘green’ technologies, which will be one of the cornerstones of the Energy Union and the Clean Industrial Deal.

All 2025 data in this article are provisional and based on early estimates. Where 2025 data are not available, 2024 data are shown instead.

Key Highlights:

  • In 2025, renewables made up 26.2% of energy consumed in the EU, up from 25.2% in 2024.
  • Renewable electricity accounted for 49.9% of all electricity consumed in the EU in 2025, up from 47.5% in 2024.
  • Renewable energy made up 27.3% of energy used for heating and cooling in 2025, up from 26.7% in 2024.

Becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050 is the greatest challenge and opportunity of our times. To achieve this, on 11 December 2019 the European Commission presented the European Green Deal (COM(2019) 640 final), the most ambitious package of measures that should enable European citizens and businesses to benefit from a sustainable green transition. Measures accompanied by an initial roadmap of key policies range from ambitiously cutting emissions, to investing in cutting-edge research and innovation, to preserving Europe’s natural environment. Above all, the European Green Deal sets a path for a transition that is just and socially fair. It is designed in such a way as to leave no individual or region behind in the great transformation ahead.

Some of the objectives of the Green Deal will become part of the Clean Industrial Deal. It is an integral part of the Commission’s strategy to implement the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals to boost Europe’s innovation and competitiveness, and many other priorities announced in President von der Leyen’s political guidelines. The European Commission has set out several energy strategies for a more secure, sustainable, and low-carbon economy. Aside from combating climate change through a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the use of renewable energy sources is likely to result in more secure and diverse energy supply, less air pollution, as well as job creation in environmental and renewable energy sectors.

Building on the 20% target for 2020, on 11 December 2018, the EU adopted RED II on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, whose last amendment by RED III includes a binding renewable energy target for the EU for 2030 of 42.5% with the aim to achieve 45%.

On 18 May 2022, the Commission published the REPowerEU plan, which sets out a series of measures to rapidly reduce EU’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels well before 2030 by accelerating the clean energy transition. The REPowerEU plan is based on 3 pillars: saving energy, producing clean energy and diversifying the EU’s energy supplies.

Share of renewable energy reached 26.2% in 2025

According to provisional data, the EU reached a 26.2% share of its gross final energy consumption from renewable sources in 2025, around 1 percentage point (pp) higher than in 2024 and almost 3 times higher than in 2004 (9.6%). EU Directive 2023/2413 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources has revised the EU’s 2030 renewable energy target from 32% to 42.5% (with an aim to increase it to 45%). Therefore, EU countries need to intensify their efforts to collectively comply with the EU target for 2030, which requires increasing the share of renewable energy sources in the EU’s gross final energy consumption by more than 16 pp in just 5 years.

Sweden had the highest share among the EU countries, with 65.4% of its gross final energy consumption coming from renewable sources in 2025. Sweden’s main renewable energy sources, in descending order, were solid biomass, hydro, and wind. Finland followed with 53.0%, relying mainly on solid biomass, followed by wind and hydropower. Denmark had the next-highest share at 48.2%, with solid biomass contributing the most, followed by wind and biogas. The lowest shares of renewables were recorded in Belgium (14.9%), Slovakia (16.3%), and Ireland (17.2%).

Renewables account for almost 50% of total electricity in 2025

In 2025, renewable energy sources made up 49.9% of gross electricity consumption in the EU, more than 2 pp higher than the previous year (47.5% in 2024). The growth in electricity generated from renewable energy sources during the period 2015 to 2025 largely reflects an expansion in 2 renewable energy sources across the EU, namely wind power and solar power.

Looking at detailed data (available only up to 2024), wind power and hydropower accounted for almost two-thirds of the total electricity generated from renewable sources (38.0% and 26.4%, respectively). The remaining one-third of electricity generated was from solar power (23.4%), solid biofuels (5.8%) and other renewable sources (6.1%). Solar photovoltaic power is the fastest-growing source: in 2008, it accounted for 1%. This means that the growth in electricity from solar power has been dramatic, rising from just 7.4 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2008 to 304 TWh in 2024.

27.4% of energy used for heating and cooling from renewable sources

In 2025, renewable energy accounted for 27.4% of total energy use for heating and cooling in the EU, increasing from 11.7% in 2004.

Developments in the industrial sector, services, and households contributed to this growth. Ambient energy captured by heat pumps for heating and renewable cooling are also taken into account.

Among the EU countries, the share of energy from renewable sources in heating and cooling in 2024 was more than 50% in Sweden and Estonia (both at 67.8%), Finland (62.6%), Latvia (61.8%), Malta (59.2%), Denmark (56.4%), and Lithuania (52.1%). The EFTA country Iceland also stood out with a 79.5% share.

At the other end of the scale, the EU countries with a share of energy from renewable sources in heating and cooling of less than 20% were Ireland (7.9%), the Netherlands and Belgium (both 11.3%), Germany (17.7%), and Luxembourg (19%).

11.2% of renewable energy used in transport activities in 2024

The average share of energy from renewable sources in transport increased from 1.4% in 2004 to 11.2% in 2024.

By 2030, EU countries must either increase the share of renewable energy used in transport to at least 29% or reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of transport fuels by at least 14.5%. Renewable energy used in transport includes liquid biofuels, renewable hydrogen, biomethane, ‘green’ electricity, etc.

Among EU countries, the share of renewable energy in transport fuel consumption ranged from highs of 26.4% in Sweden and 20.3% in Finland down to less than 5% in Croatia (0.9%) and Greece (3.9%). The EFTA country Norway also reported a high share of renewable energy in transport fuel consumption (33.6%), while the candidate and potential candidate countries all show a very low share of renewable energy in transport (from zero to around 1%).

This is a lightly edited extract from eurostat’s Renewable energy statistics. The original article can be accessed here