Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Australia
Australia: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
Change on year
down 5.2%
World rank
89th
of 213 countries
All-time high
805.98 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2000
All-time low
525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2025
Years of data
26
2000–2025
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Australia, 2000–2025
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
In 2025, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Australia stood at 525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 28.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Australia peaked at 805.98 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2000 and was at its lowest, 525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2025.
Australia ranks 89th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Australia, year by year
| Year | grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 805.98 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | — |
| 2001 | 803.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 794.67 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 792.17 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 792.83 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 791.8 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 790.5 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 791.15 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 791.51 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 785.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 775.67 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 749.42 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 746.99 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 726.16 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 734.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 729.71 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 713.51 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 718.08 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 688.42 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 670.1 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 642.32 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.1% |
| 2021 | 605.91 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.7% |
| 2022 | 577.86 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 556.7 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.7% |
| 2024 | 553.83 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is above the median for high income countries, which is 417.06 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 1.3× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Australia's 525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 519.46 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 1.0× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 793.88 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 785.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 805.98 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 725.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 670.1 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 775.67 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 576.97 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 642.32 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 86 Martinique 529.8 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 87 Jordan 529.79 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 88 China 525.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 90 Gabon 523.08 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 91 Papua New Guinea 513.74 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 92 Mauritania 512.08 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Australia?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Australia was 525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025, according to Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 805.98 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2000.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 525.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025.
- How does Australia rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- Australia ranks 89th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Greenhouse gases emitted per unit of generated electricity, measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.