The World Hydropower Outlook, a flagship annual publication by IHA, tracks and directs the progress of hydropower development globally against net zero pathways. Drawing upon exclusive new development insights from IHA’s global database, it features in-depth analysis of hydropower’s growth trajectory. The report highlights policy and financial investment challenges and examples of good progress.
- Global hydropower capacity grew by 24.6GW in 2024, including 16.2GW of conventional hydropower and 8.4GW of pumped storage hydropower.
- Hydropower remains the world’s largest source of renewable electricity, supplying 14.3% of global power and supporting power system flexibility in more than 150 countries.
- The global hydropower development pipeline now exceeds 1,075GW, including 600GW of pumped storage and 475GW of conventional projects.
- China continues to dominate global hydropower development, with 14.4GW of new capacity added in 2024, including 7.75GW of PSH.
- Africa more than doubles the previous three years’ development, commissioning 4.5GW of new hydropower capacity in 2024.
- Europe saw a decade-high 680TWh in hydropower generation supported by strong rainfall, while EU and national policy measures drive momentum for pumped storage.
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