The line graph compares the proportion of electricity produced by various energy sources on a global scale over a 32-year period from 1987 to 2019.
Overall, it is clear that coal was by far the most important means by electricity generation over the period shown. Additionally, renewable sources experienced a considerable increase, particularly in the later years, whereas other sources such as hydropower and nuclear power showed only minor fluctuations.
In 1987, coal was the main source of elelctricity around the world, generating around 40%. After that, this figure fluctuated between 40% and 42% until the end of the period when it saw a slight dip to just below 40%. The percentage of natural gas also rose gradually from 15% in 1987 to peak at around 20% in the mid-2000s, before culminating at a similar level. Most remarkably, renewable sources, which provided a negligible amount of electricity in the initial year, witnessed the most significant growth, climbing steadily to just over 10% by 2019.
Turning to the remaining sources, electricity producing from oil, which started at just under 15% in 1987, plummeted to its lowest point at just 4% by the end of the period. Likewise, nuclear power, which making up approximately 10% of the total in the beginning of the period, observed a minimal climb before a steady fall, finishing the period with a smaller rate. Hydropower’s contribution followed an equivalent, albeit less dramatic, pattern, declining marginally from its initial level to around 16%.