Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Canada
Canada: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 190.72 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025. ▼ Falling
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Canada, 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 Canada stood at 190.72 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
The figure is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Canada peaked at 255.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2001 and was at its lowest, 160.6 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2022.
That places Canada 161st out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 232.05 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 204.33 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 255.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 186.83 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 169.99 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 214.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 173.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 160.6 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 190.72 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 158 Panama 221.15 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 159 United Kingdom 217.41 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 160 Armenia 211.93 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 162 Colombia 186.81 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 163 Angola 185.38 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 164 Burundi 183.67 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for Canada
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.5% (2100)
- Population growth 0.9% (2025)
- Population, total 41.65 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.2% (2025)
- Urban population 34.52 million (2025)
- Urban population 82.9% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 35.64 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Canada?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Canada was 190.72 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 255.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2001.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 160.6 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2022.
- How does Canada rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- Canada ranks 161st out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada 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.