Carbon intensity of energy in Switzerland
Switzerland: Carbon intensity of energy was 120 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024. ▼ Falling
Carbon intensity of energy in Switzerland, 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
Switzerland recorded 120 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 1.8% on the previous year and down 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon intensity of energy in Switzerland peaked at 224.22 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1965 and was at its lowest, 120 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour, in 2024.
That places Switzerland 195th 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 | 220.72 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 215.37 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 224.22 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
| 1970s | 194.01 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 172.45 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 211.27 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1980s | 154.73 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 146.48 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 165.56 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 1990s | 154.32 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 146.59 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 163.52 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2000s | 147.97 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 143.35 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 158.44 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2010s | 140.66 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 130.14 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 147.85 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 10 |
| 2020s | 131.94 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 120 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 153.02 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour | 5 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
- 192 Hong Kong 122.25 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 193 Norway 121.81 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 194 Panama 121.36 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour compare
- 196 France 105.64 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
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 carbon intensity of energy in Switzerland?
- Carbon intensity of energy in Switzerland was 120 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 224.22 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 1965.
- What is the lowest carbon intensity of energy recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 120 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour in 2024.
- How does Switzerland rank for carbon intensity of energy?
- Switzerland ranks 195th out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon intensity of energy rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.