Low-Carbon Power: Monitor the switch to Low Carbon Energy

What are the largest sources of low-carbon power?

• Hydropower

  16.8% of global electricity is generated from Hydropower

• Nuclear

  10.1% of global electricity is generated from Nuclear

• Wind

  6.2% of global electricity is generated from Wind

• Solar

  3.3% of global electricity is generated from Solar

• Biofuels

  2.3% of global electricity is generated from Biofuels

• Geothermal

  0.3% of global electricity is generated from Geothermal

What is low-carbon power?

Low-carbon power comes from processes or technologies that produce electricity with relatively low amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. Here is a list of major energy sources and their estimated lifecycle emissions.

How much of global electricity comes from low-carbon energy sources?

39% of the global electricity supply is generated from low-carbon energy sources. Learn more at our World energy page.

Which countries have most successfully decarbonized their electricity generation?

There are 16 countries which already get 90% or more of their electricity from low-carbon sources. Do you know which ones? Check out our low-carbon ranking.

Which countries use the most electricity?

These are the 12 countries that use the most electricity in the world. As you can see the share of electricity that comes from low-carbon sources varies widely, from less than 1% to 90%.

• People's Republic of China

• United States

• India

• Russia

• Japan

• Brazil

• Canada

• Germany

• South Korea

• France

• Saudi Arabia

• Iran

What is the historic development?

39% of electricity worldwide is generated from low-carbon sources. 30 years ago, the ratio was almost exactly the same. However, while the overall number has stayed almost exactly the same, some countries have made major improvements while others have become more reliant on fossil fuels for power generation. On our chart page you can visualize all countries/regions as well as energy sources. Here is a sample:

Look up other countries and regions

Also check out our Low-carbon Power Map:

Blog

May 10, 2021
What can we learn about decarbonization from past experiences?

Jan 21, 2021
Why are we not talking about hydropower?