Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Ireland
Ireland: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 256.54 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025. ▼ Falling
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Ireland, 1990–2025
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 256.54 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.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.3% on the previous year and down 41.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Ireland peaked at 704.32 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 1992 and was at its lowest, 256.54 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2025.
Ireland ranks 149th of 213 regions 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 | 680.85 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 640.42 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 704.32 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 576.83 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 486.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 641.32 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 428.71 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 311.95 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 483.06 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 297.28 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 256.54 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 351.92 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 146 Fiji 278.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 147 Bulgaria 275.55 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 148 Montenegro 264.23 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 150 Netherlands 253.56 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 151 Romania 250.75 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 152 Ukraine 250.47 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for Ireland
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.1% (2100)
- Population growth 1.6% (2025)
- Population, total 5.48 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 2.0% (2025)
- Urban population 3.54 million (2025)
- Urban population 64.6% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 6.34 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 2.37 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 6.34 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 6.34 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Ireland?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Ireland was 256.54 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 704.32 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 1992.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 256.54 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025.
- How does Ireland rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- Ireland ranks 149th out of 213 regions with data for 2025.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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.