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
Latest (2025)
190.72 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
161st
of 213 countries
All-time high
255.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2001
All-time low
160.6 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2022
Years of data
26
2000–2025
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.
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Canada, year by year
| Year | grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 245.69 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | — |
| 2001 | 255.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 245.12 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 251.64 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 235.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -6.5% |
| 2005 | 225.01 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.4% |
| 2006 | 216.51 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 227.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 213.48 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -6.3% |
| 2009 | 204.33 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 214.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 206.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 193.39 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 186.96 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 188.86 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 184.37 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 180.88 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 172.06 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 170.86 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 169.99 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 161.69 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 165.37 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 160.6 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.9% |
| 2023 | 174.37 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +8.6% |
| 2024 | 185.35 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +6.3% |
| 2025 | 190.72 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.9% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 190.72 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is below the median for high income countries, which is 417.06 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 46% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
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
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 2.27 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 44,359 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 9,631 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,728 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 36.34 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,240 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 17,229 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,823 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 406.39 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 63.48 kt (2050)
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.