Carbon intensity of energy in Iceland
Iceland: Carbon intensity of energy was 43.89 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024. ▼ Falling
Carbon intensity of energy in Iceland, 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
Iceland recorded 43.89 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour for carbon intensity of energy in 2024.
That represents a change of up 8.6% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon intensity of energy in Iceland peaked at 227.95 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1968 and was at its lowest, 40.42 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, in 2023.
Iceland ranks 203rd 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 | 215.95 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 189.96 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 227.95 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
| 1970s | 179.12 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 168.79 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 190.32 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1980s | 138.52 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 124.14 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 173.9 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 133.72 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 98.66 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 147.37 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.57 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 52.28 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 93.57 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.56 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 41.18 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 54.26 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.98 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 40.42 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 43.89 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More climate change data for Iceland
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.0% (2100)
- Population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Population, total 392,404 (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.6% (2025)
- Urban population 369,715 (2025)
- Urban population 94.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 9.67 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 171.69 million tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 9.67 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 9.67 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon intensity of energy in Iceland?
- Carbon intensity of energy in Iceland was 43.89 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 227.95 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1968.
- What is the lowest carbon intensity of energy recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.42 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2023.
- How does Iceland rank for carbon intensity of energy?
- Iceland ranks 203rd out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon intensity of energy rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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.