Carbon intensity of energy in Canada
Canada: Carbon intensity of energy was 161.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024. ▼ Falling
Carbon intensity of energy in Canada, 1965–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour.
Analysis
Canada recorded 161.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour for carbon intensity of energy in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 60 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.7% on the previous year and down 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon intensity of energy in Canada peaked at 221.38 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1972 and was at its lowest, 161.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, in 2024.
That places Canada 167th out of 204 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 60 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 216.07 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 211.71 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 219.88 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
| 1970s | 206.67 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 193.3 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 221.38 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1980s | 188.39 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 176.7 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 198.82 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 183.95 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 178.59 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 188.76 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 183.46 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 175.83 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 191.37 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 169.69 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 166.45 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 175.84 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 164.94 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 161.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 166.58 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 164 Georgia 164.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 165 Yemen 164.34 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 166 Slovakia 163.26 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 168 French Polynesia 161.21 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 169 Djibouti 160.78 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 170 Nauru 160.12 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for Canada
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.5% (2100)
- Population growth 0.9% (2025)
- Population, total 41.65 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.2% (2025)
- Urban population 34.52 million (2025)
- Urban population 82.9% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 35.64 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 13.42 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon intensity of energy in Canada?
- Carbon intensity of energy in Canada was 161.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest carbon intensity of energy recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 221.38 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1972.
- What is the lowest carbon intensity of energy recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 161.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024.
- How does Canada rank for carbon intensity of energy?
- Canada ranks 167th out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon intensity of energy rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Carbon intensity of energy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Fossil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions per unit of total energy supply, measured in grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour.