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
Latest (2025)
256.54 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
Change on year
down 5.3%
World rank
149th
of 213 countries
All-time high
704.32 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 1992
All-time low
256.54 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025
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 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.
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Ireland, year by year
| Year | grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 695.29 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | — |
| 1991 | 692.82 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 704.32 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 694.17 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 687.91 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 692.09 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 676.21 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 668.7 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 656.6 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 640.42 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 632.67 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 641.32 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 615.73 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 595.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 591.27 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 592.97 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 559.41 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.7% |
| 2007 | 535.61 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 516.87 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 486.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 478.69 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 455.88 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 483.06 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +6.0% |
| 2013 | 462.92 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 446.25 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 439.28 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 442.57 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 404.03 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -8.7% |
| 2018 | 362.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -10.3% |
| 2019 | 311.95 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -13.9% |
| 2020 | 291.05 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -6.7% |
| 2021 | 351.92 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +20.9% |
| 2022 | 330.87 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -6.0% |
| 2023 | 282.41 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -14.6% |
| 2024 | 270.91 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -4.1% |
| 2025 | 256.54 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 256.54 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, 62% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 256.54 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 250.47 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
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
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 320.11 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 18,098 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,665 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 14,433 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 13.83 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 515.47 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,902 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,899 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.17 kt (2050)
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 countries 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.