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

39.1% of the global electricity supply is generated from low-carbon energy sources.

What are the largest sources of low-carbon power?

  • Nuclear

    Nuclear

    9.2% of global electricity is generated from Nuclear

  • Hydropower

    Hydropower

    15.1% of global electricity is generated from Hydropower

  • Wind

    Wind

    7.6% of global electricity is generated from Wind

  • Solar

    Solar

    4.5% of global electricity is generated from Solar

  • Geothermal

    Geothermal

    0.3% of global electricity is generated from Geothermal

  • Biofuels

    Biofuels

    2.4% of global electricity is generated from Biofuels

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. Where do our emissions numbers come from?

Wind11 gCO2eq / kWhLow-carbon
Nuclear12 gCO2eq / kWhLow-carbon
Hydropower24 gCO2eq / kWhLow-carbon
Geothermal38 gCO2eq / kWhLow-carbon
Solar45 gCO2eq / kWhLow-carbon
Biofuels230 gCO2eq / kWhLow-carbon
Gas490 gCO2eq / kWhHigh-carbon / fossil fuel
Oil650 gCO2eq / kWhHigh-carbon / fossil fuel
Coal820 gCO2eq / kWhHigh-carbon / fossil fuel

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 15 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%.

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:

Low-carbon electricity chart

Look up other countries and regions

Our data covers 215 countries and regions. Use the menu below to look up the profile of any country/region. You can also use the search function in the top-right corner.

Also check out our Low-carbon Power Map:

Blog

Dec 06, 2021
Where do our emissions numbers come from?

Nov 27, 2021
Confronting climate change requires ambition

Sep 08, 2021
Misleading claims about renewable power generation share in Denmark

May 11, 2021
What can we learn about decarbonization from past experiences?

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

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