The World Bioenergy Association (WBA) is pleased to announce the release of the 13th edition of its Global Bioenergy Statistics (GBS) Report. The report covers the global energy mix, biomass supply, installed capacity, biopower, bioheat, liquid and gaseous biofuels, investment, and jobs. New this year are spotlights on the EU wood pellet market, US ethanol exports, India's national biogas scheme, and the first results of the WBA's Women in Bioenergy Survey.
Bioenergy remains the backbone of renewable energy, supplying more than half of all renewable energy in 2024. But the report shows a sector moving in two directions, with liquid biofuels hitting record levels on the back of blending mandates, while bioenergy power keeps growing but at its slowest pace on record, and investment in it has fallen by more than 60% in two years.
Some key highlights from the 2026 Report are:
- In 2025, bioelectricity generation reached a record 711 TWh, but grew only 1%, its slowest rate on record. Its share of renewable electricity fell to 6.6% as solar and wind grew faster. China alone generated 30% of the global output.
- Installed bioenergy capacity grew 2% to 155 GW, and policy drove the growth. Chile (+46%) added biomass to its energy mix as it brings its coal phase-out forward, and Ukraine (+23%) relied on small plants to keep communities supplied during attacks on its grid, while capacity in the Netherlands fell 44% after subsidies for biomass power ended.
- Liquid biofuel production grew 4% to a record 200 billion liters in 2025, driven by blending mandates in at least 44 countries. Sustainable aviation fuel output nearly doubled, and India's ethanol output rose from about 6 to 10 billion liters after the country reached 20% blending six months early.
- Investment in bioenergy power fell to USD 4 billion in 2024, from a USD 10.7 billion average in 2022–2023, while investment in liquid biofuels and biogases rose 6% in 2025.
- The bioenergy sector employed 3.7 million people in 2024, the second-largest renewable employer after solar. In the first WBA’s Women in Bioenergy survey, results indicated that women make up about 37% of the workforce but 32% of senior management.
We’d like to express our gratitude to our member, the Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP), for supporting this year’s Statistics Report. Thank you, SBP!
To read the Global Bioenergy Statistics Report 2026, click here.