France vs United States: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources
France
540.63 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
1,944 terawatt-hours
in 2025
France rank
5th
United States rank
2nd
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources over time
- France
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 1,944 terawatt-hours against 540.63 terawatt-hours in France, a difference of 1,403 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States's figure about 3.6 times France's.
Across all 36 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
France ranks 5th and United States ranks 2nd of 209 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 433.41 terawatt-hours | 1,048 terawatt-hours | 614.5 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 500.41 terawatt-hours | 1,137 terawatt-hours | 636.8 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 513.83 terawatt-hours | 1,385 terawatt-hours | 871.49 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2020s | 489.98 terawatt-hours | 1,751 terawatt-hours | 1,261 terawatt-hours | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from low-carbon sources, France or United States?
- United States, at 1,944 terawatt-hours against 540.63 terawatt-hours in France as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from low-carbon sources between France and United States?
- 1,403 terawatt-hours, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and United States?
- 36 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2025.
- How do France and United States rank globally for electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- France ranks 5th and United States ranks 2nd of 209 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Electricity generation from low-carbon sources. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours. Low-carbon sources correspond to renewables and nuclear power, that produce significantly less greenhouse-gas emissions than fossil fuels. Renewables include solar, wind, hydropower, bioenergy, geothermal, wave, and tidal.