Norway vs Switzerland: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity

Norway
28.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2025
Switzerland
39.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2025
Norway rank
203rd
Switzerland rank
201st

Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity over time

  • Norway
  • Switzerland
010203040199020072025

How they compare

Switzerland currently reports 39.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour against 28.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in Norway, a difference of 11.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.

That makes Switzerland's figure about 1.4 times Norway's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 26 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Switzerland ahead.

Norway ranks 203rd and Switzerland ranks 201st of 213 countries.

Switzerland has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Norway Switzerland Difference Ahead
2000s 28.47 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour 34.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour 6.31 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour Switzerland
2010s 34.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour 36.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour 1.68 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour Switzerland
2020s 29.2 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour 36.84 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour 7.64 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour Switzerland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity, Norway or Switzerland?
Switzerland, at 39.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour against 28.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in Norway as of 2025.
What is the difference in lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity between Norway and Switzerland?
11.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, with Switzerland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and Switzerland?
26 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2025.
How do Norway and Switzerland rank globally for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
Norway ranks 203rd and Switzerland ranks 201st of 213 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity
Unit
grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
Source
Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
213 places, 5,691 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Greenhouse gases emitted per unit of generated electricity, measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.