3.1.3Active indicatorSustainable and Healthy Road Transport
3.1Energy use, energy generation, and health
3.2Air quality and health co-benefits
3.3Food, agriculture, and health co-benefits
3.5Health-care Sector Emissions
Indicator 3.1.3 · Mitigation
Sustainable and Healthy Road Transport
Fossil fuel combustion in road transport exposes people to health-harming air pollution, increasing the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular disease and premature death. Shifting road transport away from fossil fuels towards cleaner energy sources can reduce harmful air pollution while cutting greenhouse gas emissions. This indicator tracks changes in the fuels and energy sources used for road transport.
Headline finding
Despite the rapid growth in electric vehicle adoption, electricity accounted for only 0.48% of total road transport energy use in 2023, up from just 0.1% in 2016
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Figure 1
Road-Transport Energy Use
Energy used for road transport by fuel type, including fossil fuels, biofuels, and electricity, globally from 1990 to 2023, measured in terajoules (TJ).
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About this indicator
Description
This indicator tracks the share of overall road transport energy by fuel type using data from the IEA.
Authors
Caveats
This indicator captures change in total fuel use and type of fuel use for transport, but it does not capture shifts in modes of transport used. In particular, it does not capture walking and cycling for short trips, which can yield substantial health benefits through increased physical activity.
Alongside the fossil fuel combustion pollutants, tyre wear accounts for an estimated 3–7% of airborne PM2.5 particulates worldwide.
Data sources
- IEA dataset “World Energy Balances – Extended Energy Balances”1 via the IEA website for institutional subscribers, with full data through 2023 (last updated in August 2025- July 2025 edition with Corrigendum).
- UN World Population Prospects, 2024 edition.