District heating connects buildings to shared heat production and distribution networks. The statistics below cover global reach, infrastructure, fuel mix, household adoption, production, deliveries, market share, costs and consumer reporting, while distinguishing observed measurements, estimates, forecasts and surveys.
Key District Heating Statistics
The most broadly useful district heating figures include:
- In the IEA’s 2026 report, district heating served more than 600 million people worldwide in the 2024/2026 reporting period.
- In the IEA’s 2026 report, global district-heating networks extended over 1 million kilometres in the 2024/2026 reporting period.
- In 2024, coal supplied around 50% of global district-heat production.
- In 2024, natural gas contributed close to 33% of global district-heat production.
- In 2024/2025, renewables supplied about 7% of global district heat in the IEA assessment.
- Under existing policies, global district-heating consumers are projected to reach approximately 650 million by 2030, an 8% increase from 2024.
- In Europe’s 2025 status report, about 80 million citizens received energy through district-heating and cooling pipelines.
- In 2023, renewable and waste-heat sources accounted for 44.1% of Europe’s district-heating fuel mix.
- In 2024, around 69% of Danish households were connected to district heating.
- In 2023, Danish district-heating production totalled 38 TWh.
- In 2023, renewable energy accounted for 78% of Danish district-heating production.
- In 2024, Swedish district-heat production totalled 52,997 GWh.
- In 2024, Swedish multifamily residential buildings received 25,092 GWh of district heat.
- In 2025, Norwegian gross district-heat production was 7,908 GWh.
- In the U.S. Energy Department’s 2012 estimate, more than 660 district-energy systems provided heating to 5.5 billion square feet of floor space.
- In the 2018 UK market study, the heat-network market had nearly 492,000 connections, including 446,517 domestic customers.
- In 2022, heat networks represented less than 3% of the UK heat market.
- In the 2022 UK consumer survey, 9% of heat-network consumers reported annual heating costs of at least £2,000.
Contents
- Global district heating scale and fuel mix
- European district-heating infrastructure and transition
- Denmark district heating adoption and household data
- Sweden district heating production and deliveries
- Norway and United States district-energy measurements
- UK heat-network market, costs and consumer experience
Global District Heating Statistics: Scale, Reach and Fuel Mix
The IEA’s Renewables in District Energy – Executive summary estimates that district heating served more than 600 million people worldwide in the 2024/2026 reporting period. The same assessment estimates more than 1 million kilometres of global district-heating networks, making network length and connected population useful measures of physical reach.
The IEA reports that heat delivered through district heating was about 35% higher in 2024 than in 2010. It also places district energy at around 10% of global final energy consumption for heat and around 5% of total global energy consumption in its 2026 report. Renewables in District Energy – Executive summary
The global fuel mix remained heavily fossil-based in 2024, although the shares are estimates rather than a single universal administrative count:
- Coal supplied around 50% of global district-heat production in 2024.
- Natural gas contributed close to 33% of global district-heat production in 2024.
- Renewables supplied about 7% of global district heat in the IEA’s 2024/2025 assessment.
Under existing policies, the IEA projects global district-heating consumers to rise about 8% from 2024 to approximately 650 million by 2030. This is an existing-policies forecast endpoint, not an observed 2030 result. Renewables in District Energy – Executive summary
European District-Heating Data: Infrastructure and Transition
The Joint Research Centre’s 2025 status report estimates that Europe had about 19,000 district-heating and cooling grids and more than 206,000 kilometres of pipelines. Those pipelines supplied energy to about 80 million citizens, while the largest European district-heating and cooling markets increased infrastructure by 9.7% over approximately 2020–2025, adding 14,040 kilometres.
| European measure | Period | Reported figure |
|---|---|---|
| District-heating and cooling grids | 2025 report | About 19,000 |
| DHC pipelines | 2025 report | More than 206,000 km |
| Citizens supplied | 2025 report | About 80 million |
| Infrastructure increase in largest markets | Approximately 2020–2025 | 9.7% |
Renewable and waste-heat sources accounted for 44.1% of Europe’s district-heating fuel mix in 2023. The JRC also assessed heating and cooling as around 50% of EU energy consumption in its 2025 report, which places thermal networks within a large end-use category.
These Europe-wide figures use district-heating and cooling terminology and should not be treated as identical to district heating alone. Clean Energy Technology Observatory: Smart Thermal Networks in the European Union – 2025 Status Report
Denmark District Heating Statistics: Adoption, Output and Household Use
Denmark provides a detailed national picture of household connection and production. Around 69% of Danish households were connected to district heating in 2024, across six large-city systems and approximately 400 smaller systems. District heating in Denmark
Danish district-heating production totalled 38 TWh in 2023, covering an estimated 57% of national residential heat demand. Combined heat and power produced 62% of district heat, while renewable energy accounted for 78% of production in that year. District heating in Denmark
The Danish Energy Agency’s 2023 household statistics add an energy-use perspective:
- Climate-adjusted Danish household energy consumption was 177.9 PJ in 2023.
- District heating accounted for 40.2% of Danish household energy consumption in 2023.
- Average Danish household energy consumption was 63.4 GJ per household in 2023.
- Space heating and hot water represented 52.4 GJ, or 82.7%, of average household energy use in 2023.
Long-run production data show a change in the composition of Danish district heat. Gross production was 135 PJ in 2023, compared with 113 PJ in 1994; renewable energy supplied 92 PJ in 2023 versus 17 PJ in 1994, while coal supplied 8 PJ in 2023 versus 56 PJ in 1994. Energy Statistics 2023 – Denmark (English)
Sweden District Heating Data: Production, Fuel Use and Deliveries
Statistics Sweden reported 52,997 GWh of district-heat production in 2024. Fuel-based production was 41,336 GWh, including 22,738 GWh from combined heat and power and 18,598 GWh from heat-only production; heat pumps produced 4,985 GWh.
| Swedish measure | 2024 figure |
|---|---|
| Total district-heat production | 52,997 GWh |
| Fuel-based production | 41,336 GWh |
| Combined heat and power | 22,738 GWh |
| Heat-only production | 18,598 GWh |
| Heat pumps | 4,985 GWh |
| District-heating fuel use | 49,446 GWh |
Deliveries show how Swedish district heat was distributed across customer groups in 2024. Multifamily residential buildings received 25,092 GWh, while public administration received 6,206 GWh and other commercial and service users received 7,749 GWh.
Manufacturing, mining and quarrying received 5,744 GWh, and one- or two-family dwellings received 5,344 GWh. Statistics Sweden’s table distinguishes production and deliveries as flow measures for 2015–2024, so these figures should not be interpreted as stock counts of subscribed properties. District heating (GWh) – Statistics Sweden
Norway and United States District-Energy Statistics
Statistics Norway reported 7,908 GWh of gross district-heat production in 2025 and 7,475 GWh of net production. The production measures cover the official district-heating population, while Statistics Norway’s separate household energy account reported district-heating consumption of 1,925 GWh for Norwegian dwellings and holiday cottages in 2023 and 1,863 GWh in 2025.
| Geography and measure | Period | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Norway gross production | 2025 | 7,908 GWh |
| Norway net production | 2025 | 7,475 GWh |
| Norwegian household consumption | 2023 | 1,925 GWh |
| Norwegian household consumption | 2025 | 1,863 GWh |
Norway’s official population covers systems selling heat or cooling to external customers; own-use industrial plants are excluded. District heating and district cooling – Statistics Norway and Production and consumption of energy, energy balance and energy account – Statistics Norway
The U.S. Energy Department’s cited 2012 estimate counted more than 660 district-energy systems. Those systems provided heating to an estimated 5.5 billion square feet of floor space and cooling to 1.9 billion square feet.
These U.S. figures are estimates from 2012 and are not directly comparable with the newer national production series above. Combined Heat and Power Technology Fact Sheet Series: District Energy
UK Heat-Network Statistics: Market Scale, Costs and Consumer Experience
The UK figures combine district heating with broader heat-network categories where stated. A 2018 market study estimated at least 14,000 heat networks, including around 2,000 district-heating networks; heat networks supplied around 2% of buildings’ heat demand and had nearly 492,000 connections, including 446,517 domestic customers. Heat Networks market study: summary of final report
In 2022, heat networks represented less than 3% of the UK heat market. The UK net-zero scenario targets 20% market share by 2050, while an industry estimate projects supply from 12.9 TWh in 2020 to 95 TWh in 2050; both 2050 figures are forecasts or scenario estimates, not observed outcomes. UK heat networks: market overview
The 2022 consumer survey reported that 54% of heat-network respondents said their home was on a communal system and 16% said it was on a district network. Thirty percent did not know or reported another system and were excluded from system-type comparisons.
Other survey measures describe properties and billing rather than the whole UK population:
- 38% of respondents lived in properties built before 2000, while 40% lived in properties built in 2010 or later.
- 53% of heat-network respondents said cost was based on actual property use, compared with 80% of non-heat-network respondents.
- 9% of heat-network consumers reported annual heating costs of at least £2,000, compared with 13% of non-heat-network consumers.
- 86% of district-scheme consumers reported receiving a bill, account summary or statement, compared with 63% of communal-scheme consumers.
These are self-reported 2022 survey findings: roughly one-quarter of respondents did not report costs, and the subgroup percentages are not administrative coverage rates or population totals. 2022 Heat Network Consumer and Operator Survey