Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Switzerland
Switzerland: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 39.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025. ▲ Rising
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Switzerland, 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 Switzerland stood at 39.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
The figure is up 13.4% on the previous year and up 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Switzerland peaked at 39.73 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2017 and was at its lowest, 33.36 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2001.
Switzerland ranks 201st of 213 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 34.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 33.36 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 38.06 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 34.39 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 39.73 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.84 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 34.58 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 39.22 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 6 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
- 198 Namibia 48.78 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 199 Sierra Leone 47.62 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 200 France 41.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 202 Sweden 35.26 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 203 Norway 28.11 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 204 Iceland 27.82 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for Switzerland
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.1% (2100)
- Population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Population, total 9.09 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.3% (2025)
- Urban population 7.79 million (2025)
- Urban population 85.7% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 3.59 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 3.16 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 3.59 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 3.59 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Switzerland?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in Switzerland was 39.22 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 39.73 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2017.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.36 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2001.
- How does Switzerland rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- Switzerland ranks 201st out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.