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
Latest (2025)
477.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
104th
of 213 countries
All-time high
595.9 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2013
All-time low
424.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour
in 2001
Years of data
26
2000–2025
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.
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Japan, year by year
| Year | grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 424.43 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | — |
| 2001 | 424.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 433.73 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 476.32 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +9.8% |
| 2004 | 450.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 461.8 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 447.25 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 470.19 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 485.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 460.21 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.2% |
| 2010 | 446.66 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 505.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +13.1% |
| 2012 | 594.53 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +17.6% |
| 2013 | 595.9 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 591.53 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 578.05 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 567.04 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 558.03 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 541.47 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 528.49 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 527.75 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 514.49 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 519.6 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 492.45 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -5.2% |
| 2024 | 483.43 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.8% |
| 2025 | 477.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | -1.3% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 477.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is above the median for high income countries, which is 417.06 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 1.1× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Japan's 477.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 519.46 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, 92% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
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
- 102 Malta 484.02 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
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 337.64 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,181 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,633 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 8,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 13.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 305.27 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 9,462 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,401 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 7,061 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 9.06 kt (2050)
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.