Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Germany
Germany: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 329.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
329.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
134th
of 213 countries
All-time high
628.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 1991
All-time low
329.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Germany, 1990–2025
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
Germany recorded 329.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 34.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Germany peaked at 628.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 1991 and was at its lowest, 329.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2025.
Germany ranks 134th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Germany, year by year
| Year | grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 622.23 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | — |
| 1991 | 628.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 605.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.7% |
| 1993 | 607.79 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 604.32 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 596.38 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 591.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 575.31 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.7% |
| 1998 | 587.04 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 566.43 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 573.16 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 565.48 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 569.62 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 570.01 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 554.71 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 546.3 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 536.21 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 551.81 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 525.41 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.8% |
| 2009 | 521.55 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 516.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 529.67 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 534.16 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 538.04 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 521.68 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 503.59 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 498.3 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 469.71 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 454.55 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 392.51 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -13.6% |
| 2020 | 355.61 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -9.4% |
| 2021 | 394.64 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +11.0% |
| 2022 | 419.74 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +6.4% |
| 2023 | 362.92 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -13.5% |
| 2024 | 336.38 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -7.3% |
| 2025 | 329.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.0% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 329.65 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, 79% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Germany's 329.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 250.47 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 1.3× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 598.42 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 566.43 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 628.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 551.43 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 521.55 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 573.16 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 495.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 392.51 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 538.04 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 366.49 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 329.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 419.74 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 131 Argentina 346 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 132 Tanzania 345.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 133 North Korea 340.59 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 135 Sri Lanka 329.28 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 136 Honduras 322.12 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 137 Suriname 321.84 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for Germany
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.70 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 43,971 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 9,073 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,898 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 34.24 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,246 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,350 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 12,227 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 122.64 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 46.14 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Germany?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Germany was 329.65 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 628.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 1991.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 329.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025.
- How does Germany rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- Germany ranks 134th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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.