INSTITUTION PROFILE / HYDROGEN ENERGY
International Energy Agency (IEA)
The world's reference for hydrogen statistics, analysis and outlooks, but with no power to bind member countries on hydrogen
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is a Paris-based international organisation. On hydrogen it publishes the annual Global Hydrogen Review, a projects database and policy recommendations, and governments and companies use them as the numbers they check the state of the market against. The IEA's Governing Board decisions do bind member countries in law, but those centre on oil emergency response, and the recommendations in its hydrogen reports are not binding. This profile looks at one question only: how much influence the IEA actually has over hydrogen energy, with particular attention to how to read its statistics and outlooks (editions and categories). It contains no advice on handling hydrogen or on business decisions.
- The IEA in 30 seconds
- What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
- What it does for hydrogen energy
- How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
- Who it works with
- Outlook
- Glossary, references and claim-to-source audit
1. The IEA in 30 seconds
The IEA is not an organisation with no binding power at all. Its own page says decisions of its Governing Board are legally binding on member countries under international law. But the specific obligations in the IEP Agreement mainly concern oil emergency response (stocks, demand restraint, allocation), and Article 52 of the Agreement says "Recommendations shall not be binding" Sourced. The recommendations in the Global Hydrogen Review are the IEA's recommendations in a report. So on hydrogen the IEA influences through numbers and outlooks; it does not impose hydrogen targets or rules on member countries. When reading its hydrogen figures, you have to check which edition (year) and which category (operating, final investment decision taken, or only announced) a number belongs to. For example, potential hydrogen production for 2030 based on announced projects was 49 Mtpa in the 2024 edition, 37 Mtpa in the 2025 edition and 27 Mt in the 2026 edition.
2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
Unlike the companies in this series, none of the institutions that appear in hydrogen coverage produces hydrogen. What separates them is the route by which they influence the industry, and that gives four types. The IEA is the "Convening" type: it provides statistics, analysis and outlooks that become a shared base for governments to refer to.
3. What it does for hydrogen energy
The IEA's role in hydrogen can be seen as four parts: statistics and project tracking, outlook analysis, policy recommendations and a forum for international cooperation Sourced.
What it publishes
| Item | What the primary sources say | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Global Hydrogen Review | An annual report tracking hydrogen production and demand, policy, infrastructure, trade, investment and innovation. The 2026 edition, the sixth, was published on 18 June 2026 (the 2025 edition, the fifth, on 12 September 2025). It is an output of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) Hydrogen Initiative, and the IEA says it is meant to inform the Hydrogen Energy Ministerial Meeting organised by Japan. Licensed CC BY 4.0 | Sourced |
| Database and tracker | The Hydrogen Production and Infrastructure Projects Database and the online Hydrogen Tracker. They cover operating and announced low-emissions hydrogen projects, infrastructure, signed offtake agreements, and more than 1,000 hydrogen policies announced or implemented since 2020 | Sourced |
| Policy recommendations | The 2026 edition recommends reviewing 2030 targets and setting long-term ambitions, accelerating policies that create demand, keeping production support for projects ready to build, and speeding up infrastructure. The IEA itself calls these "policy recommendations" | Sourced |
| Outlooks (scenarios) | World Energy Outlook 2025 (published 12 November 2025) presents the Current Policies Scenario (CPS), the Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS), the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 (NZE) Scenario and others, and states that "none of the scenarios are forecasts". Global Hydrogen Review 2026 uses NZE Scenario figures in its analysis of cost acceptability | Sourced |
| Framework for international cooperation | The Technology Collaboration Programmes (TCPs) are independent international groups of experts supported by the IEA; there are currently 37 to 38 (the pages differ). The Hydrogen TCP is a framework for countries to coordinate research, development and demonstration. TCPs are separate from the IEA Secretariat, and the Hydrogen TCP publishes its own annual report | Sourced |
| Position in the founding agreement | Article 42 of the 1974 IEP Agreement lists "production of hydrogen from water" among the priority areas for co-operative energy R&D programmes. That is the only mention of hydrogen in the Agreement, and hydrogen carries no specific obligations such as the oil stock, demand restraint and allocation duties | Sourced |
Key figures: the 2025 and 2026 editions
| Item | Global Hydrogen Review 2025 (12 September 2025) | Global Hydrogen Review 2026 (18 June 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Global hydrogen demand | Almost 100 million tonnes (Mt) in 2024, up 2% on 2023. New applications under 1% | Over 100 Mt in 2025. Industry and refining are almost all of it |
| Low-emissions hydrogen production | Up 10% in 2024; on track to reach 1 Mt in 2025 | Up 20% in 2025 to almost 1 Mt. A record year expected in 2026, passing 1% of global production |
| Installed electrolysis capacity | (We did not check the 2025 edition's figure) | Doubled in 2025 to over 4 GW; China accounted for nearly three-quarters of new installations |
| 2030 production: total of announced projects | 37 Mtpa (down from 49 Mtpa in the 2024 edition) | 27 Mt (down 10 Mt from the 2025 edition) |
| 2030 production: operating or final investment decision taken (committed) | 4.2 Mtpa (about five times 2024 production) | 4.3 Mt (up 3%); more than 6 Mt if promising projects reach a decision in 2026 or 2027 |
| New offtake agreements | 1.7 Mtpa in 2024 (2.4 Mtpa in 2023) | Broadly unchanged at about 1.7 Mt in 2025; only about 20% of new volumes had firm contractual commitments |
* The figures come from each edition's executive summary or main text. Even for the same year, 2030, the total of announced projects, the committed amount and the amount including promising projects are different categories, and none is a forecast Sourced. Mt = million tonnes; Mtpa = million tonnes per year.
(1) Edition (year): the 2030 total of announced projects fell from 49 to 37 to 27. That reflects cancellations and delays; it is a sum of projects, not an IEA forecast of future production. (2) Category: the 2025 edition's "operating or final investment decision taken, 4.2 Mtpa" and the 2026 edition's "committed, 4.3 Mt" appear to be similar categories, but the 2026 figure of "more than 6 Mt including promising projects" is described as down from 10 Mt in the 2025 edition, so numbers from different categories should not be lined up to read increases and decreases. (3) Scenarios: the IEA says the World Energy Outlook's current policies, stated policies and net zero scenarios are different "possible pictures" based on different assumptions, and that none is a forecast. Scenario-based hydrogen figures and project tallies are different things. (4) Definitions: "low-emissions hydrogen" is the IEA's own scope and does not match the EU's RFNBO or the U.S. 45V definitions.
The 2026 edition expects 2.5 Mt of committed low-emissions hydrogen (60% of committed production) to be used in refineries and industrial facilities by 2030. It also says around 80% of production with strong potential targets chemicals, refining and low-emissions fuels Sourced. For a supplier of electrolyser, catalyst or membrane materials, which uses and regions demand lands in probably bears on material choices tied to equipment specifications (steady or variable operation, capacity). This is our inference; the IEA's report says nothing about materials Not yet confirmed. For the technical background, see our explainers on PEM water electrolysis, alkaline water electrolysis, electrolyser stacks and materials, and the cost of producing hydrogen.
4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
| Aspect | What the IEA has | What it does not have |
|---|---|---|
| Powers: legal force | Decisions of the Governing Board (energy ministers or representatives of the member countries) bind member countries in law under international law (the IEA's description, IEP Agreement Article 52). They centre on oil emergency response | Recommendations do not bind (Article 52). The recommendations in the hydrogen reports are of that kind: the IEA has no power to impose hydrogen targets or rules on members, and we could not find any binding Governing Board decision on hydrogen |
| Powers: information and analysis | Collecting and publishing energy statistics and analysis. The IEA says it collects energy data from more than 180 countries. It keeps hydrogen project and policy data up to date | The official determination of any country's hydrogen statistics. Certifying or approving individual projects |
| Powers: funding, regulation, standards | None, as far as we could confirm. It supports a framework for research cooperation through the TCPs | Allocating R&D funds, regulating hydrogen, writing standards |
| Geography | The world. The 32 members and 14 association countries together account for over 80% of global energy consumption (the IEA's description). The 2025 and 2026 editions cover China, Europe, North America, Japan, India, Africa and others | Authority over countries outside the IEA. Its reports can inform governments, but nobody is obliged to follow them |
| Scale | 2024 operating budget of EUR 77.9 million (not hydrogen-specific), run within the OECD's financial framework | We could not confirm the IEA's staff numbers or its hydrogen staff |
5. Who it works with
The IEA is run by its member governments, and it is not an institution tied directly to companies. The diagram below shows only institutional relationships that the primary sources document. This article does not cover individual companies named in its reports.
| Body | Relationship to the IEA (primary sources) |
|---|---|
| OECD | The IEA was set up in Paris in 1974 as an autonomous agency within the OECD framework and still operates within the OECD's financial framework. Joining the IEA requires OECD membership |
| Member and association countries | The 32 members send representatives to the Governing Board. The 14 association countries are a framework for cooperation with emerging economies that are not members |
| Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) | The Global Hydrogen Review is an output of the CEM Hydrogen Initiative |
| Hydrogen TCP (Technology Collaboration Programme) | International cooperation on hydrogen research, development and demonstration. A group of independent experts within the IEA's technology cooperation framework |
| Japan | The 2026 report says it is meant to inform the Hydrogen Energy Ministerial Meeting organised by Japan |
Our technology explainers on hydrogen colours and carbon intensity, the cost of producing hydrogen, PEM water electrolysis and alkaline water electrolysis cover the categories and metrics behind the IEA's figures. Our company profiles cover firms, such as electrolyser makers, that are affected by the IEA's outlooks.
6. Outlook
| What can be read from the sources | Primary evidence | Category |
|---|---|---|
| The 2026 edition says 22 Mt of announced production could lose any chance of operating by 2030 if investment decisions are not taken by early 2027 | Executive summary of Global Hydrogen Review 2026. Two-thirds of that volume is in Europe, North America and Latin America | Sourced |
| Low-emissions hydrogen production is expected to exceed 1% of global hydrogen production for the first time in 2026 | The IEA's outlook in the 2026 edition; 2026 values are noted as estimates | Not yet confirmed |
| In the 2027 Global Hydrogen Review, the 2030 figures for "announced projects" and "committed" production may move again | The 2030 total moved from 49 Mtpa to 37 Mtpa to 27 Mt across the 2024 to 2026 editions, and the 2026 edition says delayed decisions risk losing 2030 operation | Inference |
| The IEA's recommendations may be used when countries update their hydrogen strategies | The 2026 edition urges governments to update strategies and long-term targets. But recommendations are non-binding and countries need not follow them (Article 52 of the IEP Agreement) | Inference |
| The date of the next annual report | We could not find an officially announced date | Not yet confirmed |
7. Glossary
- Low-emissions hydrogen
- The IEA's term. The 2025 edition counts both production by electrolysis and production from fossil fuels with carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) as low-emissions hydrogen projects. It differs from the EU's RFNBO and the U.S. 45V definitions.
- Mt / Mtpa
- Mt is a million tonnes; Mtpa is a million tonnes per year.
- Final investment decision (FID)
- The investment decision in which a developer formally commits to build. The IEA counts operating projects and those with an FID in its "committed" category.
- CPS / STEPS / NZE
- World Energy Outlook scenarios. Current policies (only policies already in place), stated policies (including policies tabled and strategy documents, without assuming targets are met) and net zero emissions by 2050 (a normative scenario working back from the goal). None is a forecast.
- Governing Board
- The IEA's decision-making body, made up of member countries' energy ministers or their representatives. Its decisions bind members; its recommendations do not.
- TCP
- Technology Collaboration Programme: an independent international group of experts on a technology, supported by the IEA.
- CEM
- The Clean Energy Ministerial: a ministerial-level forum for advancing clean energy, which has a hydrogen initiative.
8. References
- IEA About (member and association countries account for 80% of global energy consumption; Executive Director; Regional Cooperation Centre in Singapore). https://www.iea.org/about
- IEA History (1974 founding, autonomous agency hosted at the OECD, membership over time, association countries, data collection). https://www.iea.org/about/history
- IEA Membership (32 member countries, 14 association countries, membership criteria). https://www.iea.org/about/membership
- IEA Structure (Governing Board, legal force of its decisions, standing groups, TCPs, the 2024 operating budget). https://www.iea.org/about/structure
- IEA Agreement on an International Energy Program (as amended 14 November 2024). Article 42 (long-term co-operation) and Article 52 (decisions and recommendations). https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/0cf6bac9-7c9c-450e-bb80-4928267c1cef/IEP2024.pdf
- IEA Technology Collaboration Programme (description of the TCPs). https://www.iea.org/programmes/technology-collaboration-programme
- IEA Hydrogen TCP IEA Hydrogen Technology Collaboration Programme (overview and the 2025 annual report). https://www.ieahydrogen.org/
- IEA Global Hydrogen Review 2026 (18 June 2026; sixth edition). https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2026
- IEA Global Hydrogen Review 2026, Executive summary (demand, production, recommendations, outlook for 2030). https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2026/executive-summary
- IEA Global Hydrogen Review 2026, Production (installed electrolysis capacity, committed production, project pipeline). https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2026/production
- IEA Global Hydrogen Review 2026, Cost acceptability (use of NZE Scenario figures). https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2026/cost-acceptability
- IEA Global Hydrogen Review 2025 (12 September 2025). https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2025
- IEA Global Hydrogen Review 2025, Executive summary (2024 demand; 37 Mtpa and 49 Mtpa for 2030; 4.2 Mtpa). https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2025/executive-summary
- IEA World Energy Outlook 2025 (12 November 2025). https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2025
- IEA World Energy Outlook 2025, Setting the scene (definitions of CPS, STEPS and NZE; "none of the scenarios are forecasts"). https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2025/setting-the-scene
- IEA Hydrogen (pointer to the latest findings as of June 2026). https://www.iea.org/energy-system/low-emission-fuels/hydrogen
9. Claim-to-source audit
| Claim in the article | Category | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full name, Executive Director Fatih Birol (in office since 2015), 80% of global energy consumption (members and association countries), the Regional Cooperation Centre in Singapore | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.iea.org/about |
| Signing of the founding agreement on 18 November 1974, an autonomous agency within the OECD framework, the original task, association countries, data from more than 180 countries | Sourced | Reference 2 https://www.iea.org/about/history |
| 32 member countries, 14 association countries, membership criteria (including OECD membership) | Sourced | Reference 3 https://www.iea.org/about/membership |
| Governing Board decisions are legally binding on members under international law; the TCPs; the 2024 operating budget of EUR 77.9 million; the OECD financial framework | Sourced | Reference 4 https://www.iea.org/about/structure |
| IEP Agreement Article 52 (decisions bind, recommendations do not) and Article 42 (hydrogen from water as a co-operative R&D area) | Sourced | Reference 5 https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/0cf6bac9-7c9c-450e-bb80-4928267c1cef/IEP2024.pdf |
| Description of the TCPs (framework for cooperation, around 300 organisations) | Sourced | Reference 6 https://www.iea.org/programmes/technology-collaboration-programme |
| The Hydrogen TCP's overview and annual report | Sourced | Reference 7 https://www.ieahydrogen.org/ |
| Global Hydrogen Review 2026: publication date (18 June 2026), sixth edition, output of the CEM Hydrogen Initiative, the database, more than 1,000 policies | Sourced | Reference 8 https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2026 |
| 2026 edition: demand (over 100 Mt), low-emissions production (almost 1 Mt, up 20%), the 2030 outlook (27 Mt), recommendations, offtake | Sourced | Reference 9 https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2026/executive-summary |
| Installed electrolysis capacity (over 4 GW), committed production of 4.3 Mt, the condition for more than 6 Mt, the 27 Mt project pipeline | Sourced | Reference 10 https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2026/production |
| Use of the NZE Scenario in the cost acceptability analysis | Sourced | Reference 11 https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2026/cost-acceptability |
| Global Hydrogen Review 2025: publication date (12 September 2025) | Sourced | Reference 12 https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2025 |
| 2025 edition: 2024 demand (almost 100 Mt), low-emissions production (up 10%), the 2030 figures of 37 Mtpa, 49 Mtpa and 4.2 Mtpa, offtake of 1.7 Mtpa | Sourced | Reference 13 https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2025/executive-summary |
| World Energy Outlook 2025: publication date (12 November 2025) | Sourced | Reference 14 https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2025 |
| Definitions of the CPS, STEPS and NZE scenarios and that none of the scenarios are forecasts | Sourced | Reference 15 https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2025/setting-the-scene |
| The items of the hydrogen report's recommendations; the position of data and outlooks | Sourced | Reference 9 https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2026/executive-summary Reference 16 https://www.iea.org/energy-system/low-emission-fuels/hydrogen |
| The four types of institution and the arrangement of Fig. 2 | Our calculation | Our own classification |
| The 2025 edition being the fifth | Our calculation | Our own deduction from the 2026 edition being described as the sixth |
| IEA staff numbers, hydrogen staff numbers and hydrogen-only budget | Not yet confirmed | Not found on the official pages; this article does not estimate them |
| Whether any Governing Board decision on hydrogen binds members | Not yet confirmed | The text of the IEP Agreement has no hydrogen obligations, and this article did not review every Board decision; it says only that none was found |
| The points marked as inference in section 6 and in the materials engineer's view | Inference | This article's reading of the categories and figures in references 9, 10 and 13 and the Agreement text in reference 5 |
Last updated 5 October 2026 / Troy Technical
Figures and dates come from the IEA's website and reports and from the text of the Agreement on an International Energy Program. Items marked "Inference" are this article's reading of the primary information. This is an explanation of outlooks, not advice on any business or on handling hydrogen.