Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in India
India: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 670.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
670.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
Change on year
down 5.0%
World rank
23rd
of 213 countries
All-time high
758.01 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2003
All-time low
670.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2025
Years of data
26
2000–2025
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in India, 2000–2025
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
India recorded 670.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 5.0% on the previous year and down 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in India peaked at 758.01 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2003 and was at its lowest, 670.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2025.
That places India 23rd out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in India, year by year
| Year | grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 740.04 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | — |
| 2001 | 747.39 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 755.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 758.01 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 723.79 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 734.03 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 723.04 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 717.87 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 733.08 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 744.55 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 739.43 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 722.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 742.86 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 738.99 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 743.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 750.63 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 751.87 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 743.09 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 737.72 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 722.66 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 709.06 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 715.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 705.75 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 713.36 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 705.4 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 670.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 670.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 450 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 670.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is above the median for South Asia, which is 470.52 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 737.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 717.87 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 758.01 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 739.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 722.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 751.87 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 703.17 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 670.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 715.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
- 20 Indonesia 680.25 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 21 Hong Kong 675.48 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 22 Niger 673.68 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 24 East Timor 666.67 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 24 Gambia 666.67 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 24 Grenada 666.67 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 24 Western Sahara 666.67 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for India
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 27.69 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 602,760 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 105,678 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 497,082 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 398.78 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 17,753 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 279,594 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 176,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 103,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 664.21 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in India?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in India was 670.13 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 758.01 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2003.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 670.13 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025.
- How does India rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- India ranks 23rd out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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 — 26 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.