Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Japan
Japan: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 477.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025. ▲ Rising
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Japan, 2000–2025
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
In 2025, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Japan stood at 477.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 17.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Japan peaked at 595.9 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2013 and was at its lowest, 424.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2001.
Japan ranks 104th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 453.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 424.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 485.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 550.7 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 446.66 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 595.9 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 502.5 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 477.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 527.75 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 101 Cyprus 489 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 103 Bolivia 481.29 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 105 Turkey 474.74 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 106 Macao 474.36 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 107 Mexico 474.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for Japan
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.8% (2100)
- Population growth -0.5% (2025)
- Population, total 123.37 million (2025)
- Urban population growth -0.4% (2025)
- Urban population 113.87 million (2025)
- Urban population 92.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 7.77 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 69.61 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 7.77 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 7.77 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Japan?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Japan was 477.26 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 595.9 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2013.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 424.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2001.
- How does Japan rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- Japan ranks 104th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan 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.