Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in New Zealand
New Zealand: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 92.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025. ▼ Falling
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in New Zealand, 2000–2025
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
The most recent figure for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in New Zealand is 92.76 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.2% on the previous year and down 35.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in New Zealand peaked at 254.24 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2005 and was at its lowest, 87.2 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2023.
New Zealand ranks 191st of 213 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 222.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 184.27 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 254.24 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 151.56 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 114.48 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 198.17 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 113.68 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 87.2 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 144.89 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 188 Brazil 109.95 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 189 Kenya 95.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 190 Slovakia 94.85 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 192 Venezuela 85.86 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 193 Uruguay 80.4 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 194 Tajikistan 72.56 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for New Zealand
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.1% (2100)
- Population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Population, total 5.32 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Urban population 4.47 million (2025)
- Urban population 84.0% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 6.23 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 2.01 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 6.23 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 6.23 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in New Zealand?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in New Zealand was 92.76 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 New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 254.24 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2005.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 87.2 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2023.
- How does New Zealand rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- New Zealand ranks 191st out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand 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.