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
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.
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
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
- Population growth -0.0% (2025)
- Population, total 83.49 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.1% (2025)
- Urban population 68.58 million (2025)
- Urban population 82.1% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 6.77 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 95.14 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 6.77 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 6.77 tonnes per person (2024)
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.