Energy Transition

These are the most used energy sources in Europe

Two cooling towers at a power plant

Fossil fuels still make up the majority of Europe's energy sources. Image: Nicolas HIPPERT on Unsplash

Anna Fleck
Data Journalist, Statista
  • Despite pushes to switch away from fossil fuels, much of Europe is still heavily reliant on these heavy pollutants as an energy source.
  • Iceland, Norway and Sweden are the only countries in Europe to rely mostly on hydropower.
  • France stands out for its use of nuclear energy, while Denmark relies mostly wind energy.

Much of Europe has set itself the goal of switching away from heavily polluting fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources.

Our chart shows a snapshot of the energy landscape in Europe right now, using data from BP’s latest annual report. It reveals that while there’s some variation in energy types across the bloc, fossil fuels still make up the lion’s share of the energy sources the continent is most reliant on. Exceptions to the rule include France, which stands out for its nuclear power usage, and Denmark, which relies predominantly on renewables - mostly wind energy.

Iceland, Norway and Sweden are the only countries in Europe to rely mostly on hydropower. While this is also a type of renewable energy, BP gives it its own subcategory due to the environmental impact of large scale hydropower projects. In Iceland and Norway, hydropower makes up more than 60 percent of the countries’ energy supply.

Image: Statista
Have you read?
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Future of the Environment

Related topics:
Energy TransitionNature and Biodiversity
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Future of the Environment is affecting economies, industries and global issues
World Economic Forum logo

Forum Stories newsletter

Bringing you weekly curated insights and analysis on the global issues that matter.

Subscribe today

Metals for mobility: How mining can meet electric vehicle demand and support the energy transition

Juan Merlini and Ricardo Monte Alto

February 12, 2025

2:06

Here's how heat pumps became a success story in Scandinavia

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2025 World Economic Forum