Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in France
France: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 41.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
41.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
200th
of 213 countries
All-time high
121.69 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 1991
All-time low
40.48 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2024
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in France, 1990–2025
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
France recorded 41.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in 2025.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and down 30.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in France peaked at 121.69 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 1991 and was at its lowest, 40.48 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2024.
France ranks 200th of 213 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in France, year by year
| Year | grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 104.25 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | — |
| 1991 | 121.69 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +16.7% |
| 1992 | 101.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -16.3% |
| 1993 | 68.75 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -32.5% |
| 1994 | 67.27 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 73.46 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +9.2% |
| 1996 | 79.23 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +7.9% |
| 1997 | 70.86 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -10.6% |
| 1998 | 96.75 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +36.5% |
| 1999 | 87.37 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -9.7% |
| 2000 | 79.77 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -8.7% |
| 2001 | 68.63 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -14.0% |
| 2002 | 75.21 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +9.6% |
| 2003 | 80.86 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 77.19 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 85.53 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +10.8% |
| 2006 | 76.57 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -10.5% |
| 2007 | 80.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 76.03 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.1% |
| 2009 | 75.6 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 78.56 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 74.62 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 77.59 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 76.29 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 52.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -31.6% |
| 2015 | 59.17 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +13.3% |
| 2016 | 68.62 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +16.0% |
| 2017 | 78.31 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +14.1% |
| 2018 | 59.92 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -23.5% |
| 2019 | 59.79 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 59.08 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 59.8 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 78.54 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +31.3% |
| 2023 | 53.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -32.2% |
| 2024 | 40.48 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -24.0% |
| 2025 | 41.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.4% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 41.44 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, 10% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- France's 41.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 250.47 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 17% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 87.15 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 67.27 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 121.69 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.55 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 68.63 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 85.53 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.51 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 52.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 78.56 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.43 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 40.48 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 78.54 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 6 |
Countries ranked near France
- 197 Malawi 54.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 198 Namibia 48.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 199 Sierra Leone 47.62 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 201 Switzerland 39.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 202 Sweden 35.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 203 Norway 28.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for France
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 2.23 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 55,837 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,820 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 44,017 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 44.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,572 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 16,983 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,451 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 532.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 62.08 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in France?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in France was 41.44 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 121.69 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 1991.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.48 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2024.
- How does France rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- France ranks 200th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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 — 36 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.