Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Iceland
Iceland: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 27.82 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
27.82 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
204th
of 213 countries
All-time high
28.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2018
All-time low
25.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2001
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Iceland, 2000–2024
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
In 2024, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Iceland stood at 27.82 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Iceland peaked at 28.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2018 and was at its lowest, 25.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2001.
Iceland ranks 204th of 213 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Iceland, year by year
| Year | grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 26.28 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | — |
| 2001 | 25.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.4% |
| 2002 | 26.35 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 27.25 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 26.93 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 26.71 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 27.41 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 27.75 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 26.93 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 27.53 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 27.48 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 27.3 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 27.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 27.79 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 28.09 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 27.49 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 27.52 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 27.27 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 28.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 28.41 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 28.06 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 27.85 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 27.68 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 27.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 27.82 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.2% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 27.82 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, 7% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 27.82 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, 11% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 26.83 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 25.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 27.75 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 27.27 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 28.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.83 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 27.68 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 28.06 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 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
- 205 Democratic Republic of Congo 27.64 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 206 Albania 25.18 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 207 Paraguay 24.7 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for Iceland
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 16.80 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 462.45 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 110.24 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 352.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 12.58 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 92.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 92.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.3504 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 92.72 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Iceland?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Iceland was 27.82 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2024, according to Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 28.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2018.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2001.
- How does Iceland rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- Iceland ranks 204th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland 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 — 25 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.