Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity was 217.41 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2025. ▼ Falling
Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in United Kingdom, 1990–2025
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 United Kingdom stood at 217.41 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 45.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in United Kingdom peaked at 705.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 1990 and was at its lowest, 216.5 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour, in 2024.
That places United Kingdom 159th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 591.73 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 492.33 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 705.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 535.44 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 504.65 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 559.34 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 411.14 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 268.41 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 537.23 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 239.03 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 216.5 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 267.1 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 156 Laos 232.08 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 157 Cameroon 225.9 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 158 Panama 221.15 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 160 Armenia 211.93 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 161 Canada 190.72 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
- 162 Colombia 186.81 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for United Kingdom
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Population, total 69.49 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Urban population 57.90 million (2025)
- Urban population 83.3% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 80.08 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in United Kingdom?
- Lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity in United Kingdom was 217.41 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 705.02 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 1990.
- What is the lowest lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 216.5 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt-hour in 2024.
- How does United Kingdom rank for lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity?
- United Kingdom ranks 159th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lifecycle carbon intensity of electricity rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.
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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.