Carbon intensity of energy in France
France: Carbon intensity of energy was 105.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024. ▼ Falling
Carbon intensity of energy in France, 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
France recorded 105.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour for carbon intensity of energy in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 60 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.9% on the previous year and down 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon intensity of energy in France peaked at 300.34 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1966 and was at its lowest, 105.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, in 2024.
France ranks 196th of 204 countries on this measure, 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 | 292.35 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 281.12 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 300.34 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
| 1970s | 257.66 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 241.45 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 275.93 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1980s | 185.31 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 156.8 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 233.56 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 141.14 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 135.78 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 151.62 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 129.81 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 125.53 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 133.32 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 118.96 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 114.51 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 124.55 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 116.18 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 105.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 128.63 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
Countries ranked near France
- 193 Norway 121.81 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 194 Panama 121.36 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 195 Switzerland 120 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 197 Finland 99.91 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 198 Bhutan 93.14 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 199 Sweden 81.28 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
More climate change data for France
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
- Population growth 0.2% (2025)
- Population, total 68.72 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Urban population 54.18 million (2025)
- Urban population 78.8% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 3.97 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 40.05 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 3.97 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 3.97 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon intensity of energy in France?
- Carbon intensity of energy in France was 105.64 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 300.34 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1966.
- What is the lowest carbon intensity of energy recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 105.64 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024.
- How does France rank for carbon intensity of energy?
- France ranks 196th out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon intensity of energy rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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.