In 2024, fossil fuels supplied just over half of Pakistan’s electricity, at about 53%, while low-carbon sources provided roughly 46%. Gas was the largest individual source at around 25%, followed by coal at 14%. Among clean sources, hydropower supplied about 19%, nuclear 13%, and solar 10%, with wind contributing 3% and biofuels 1%. Pakistan therefore already has a substantial low-carbon electricity base, but further clean generation is needed to replace fossil electricity and reduce its associated air pollution and climate impacts.

Is Electricity Growing in Pakistan?

Pakistan’s electricity consumption per person was essentially stagnant in 2024, at 727 kWh, compared with the previous record of 728 kWh in 2023. This lack of growth is concerning as electrification and emerging demand, including AI, require more electricity. Clean electricity, however, made encouraging progress: low-carbon generation reached 338 kWh per person, up by 29 kWh from the previous record of 309 kWh in 2023—an increase of about 9%. Thus, clean electricity grew even while overall consumption per person remained almost unchanged.

Suggestions

Pakistan should build on its established nuclear and solar sectors to increase low-carbon electricity generation. France, where nuclear supplies about 67% of electricity, and South Korea, at 26%, illustrate how nuclear can provide a substantial clean electricity backbone. For solar, sunny regions offer useful reference points: Lebanon generates about 31% of its electricity from solar, Chile 24%, and the US state of Nevada 33%. Pakistan can study their approaches to deployment and grid integration while expanding both rooftop and utility-scale solar. Wind can complement these priorities, with Morocco’s roughly 20% wind share offering another relevant example. Investment in transmission, storage, and grid flexibility would help translate additional clean generation into reliable electricity for households and industry.

History

Pakistan’s low-carbon electricity history shows substantial hydropower fluctuations followed by strong nuclear and solar growth. In the 1990s, hydropower increased by about 3 TWh in both 1992 and 1994, but fell by roughly 2–3 TWh in 1996 and 1999. The early 2000s brought gains of around 3–5 TWh in 2002, 2003, and 2005, followed by a decline in 2007. Hydropower continued to fluctuate through the 2010s: a gain of nearly 4 TWh in 2010 was followed by declines in 2011, 2016, and 2017, a major 9.5 TWh increase in 2018, and another decline in 2019. Nuclear added about 2–3 TWh annually in 2016 and 2017, then delivered particularly strong gains of roughly 6 TWh in 2021 and 6.5 TWh in 2022. Most recently, solar accelerated impressively, adding 3.7 TWh in 2023 and 8.6 TWh in 2024—clear momentum for further clean electricity expansion.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade