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
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.
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
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.0% (2100)
- Population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Population, total 392,404 (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.6% (2025)
- Urban population 369,715 (2025)
- Urban population 94.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 9.67 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 171.69 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 9.67 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 9.67 tonnes per person (2024)
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.