Global energy investment is set to reach a record USD 3.3 trillion in 2025, according to the IEA’s World Energy Investment 2025 report, despite geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty. The surge is primarily driven by energy security priorities, decarbonization targets, and supportive industrial policies.
- Clean energy investment – including renewables, nuclear, grids, storage, low-emissions fuels, efficiency, and electrification – will rise to USD 2.2 trillion, twice the amount spent on fossil fuels (USD 1.1 trillion).
- China has become the world’s largest energy investor, spending more than the EU and nearly as much as the EU and US combined. Its share in global clean energy investment has grown to nearly one-third.
- Solar PV leads all technologies, with USD 450 billion in expected investment. Battery storage is also booming (above USD 65 billion), followed by nuclear power (USD 75 billion).
- Grid investments (USD 400 billion) are lagging behind generation and electrification, raising concerns about future electricity reliability. Delays in permitting and tight supply chains are key bottlenecks.
- For the first time since the COVID-19 slump, oil upstream investment is expected to decline by 6% in 2025, mainly due to a fall in US tight oil activity. In contrast, LNG investment is rising, with major projects in the US, Qatar, and Canada boosting capacity through 2028.
- Africa’s situation remains critical – the continent receives only 2% of global clean energy investment, despite accounting for 20% of the population. Overall energy investment in Africa has dropped by a third over the past decade. Bridging this gap requires scaled-up international public finance and private capital mobilization.
The 2025 edition includes an interactive data explorer covering global trends and data for 19 countries and regions between 2016–2025. Read the full article here.
