The European Union (EU) achieved a 24.5% share of renewable energy in its gross final energy consumption in 2023, according to a Eurostat report.

Source: Eurostat

This marks a 1.4 percentage point (pp) increase from 2022 but leaves the EU 18 pp short of its 2030 target of 42.5%. To meet this goal, the EU must raise its renewable energy share by an average of 2.6 pp annually from 2024 to 2030.

Sweden leads the EU in renewable energy adoption, with 66.4% of its gross final energy consumption coming from renewables, driven by solid biofuels, hydropower, and wind. Finland follows with 50.8%, and Denmark ranks third at 44.9%, both relying heavily on similar sources. At the lower end, Luxembourg recorded the smallest share at 11.6%, with Belgium (14.7%) and Malta (15.1%) also among the least renewable-focused nations.

Between 2013 and 2023, the growth of electricity generated from renewables surged, driven by wind and solar power. In 2023, renewable electricity accounted for 45.3% of the EU’s gross electricity consumption, up from 41.2% in 2022. Wind energy contributed the most (38.5%), followed by hydropower (28.2%), solar (20.5%), solid biofuels (6.2%), and other sources (6.6%). Solar energy has seen remarkable growth, rising from just 1% in 2008 to 252.1 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2023.

Austria led in renewable electricity, with 87.8% of its consumption powered by green energy, closely followed by Sweden (87.5%) and Denmark (79.4%). Other high achievers included Portugal (63.0%), Croatia (58.8%), and Spain (56.9%). In contrast, Malta (10.7%), the Czech Republic (16.4%), Luxembourg (18.0%), and Hungary (19.5%) reported renewable electricity shares below 20%.

Beyond the EU, Norway and Albania exceeded 100% renewable electricity, producing more green power than their total consumption in 2023.