Electricity generation from low-carbon sources per person in United States
United States: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources per person was 5,597 kilowatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources per person in United States, 1983–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours.
Analysis
United States recorded 5,597 kilowatt-hours for electricity generation from low-carbon sources per person in 2025. That is the highest value across all 43 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% on the previous year and up 34.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from low-carbon sources per person in United States peaked at 5,597 kilowatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2,859 kilowatt-hours, in 1983.
That places United States 13th out of 214 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources per person in United States, year by year
| Year | kilowatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 2,859 kilowatt-hours | — |
| 1984 | 2,958 kilowatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 1985 | 3,010 kilowatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 3,163 kilowatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 1987 | 3,158 kilowatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 3,323 kilowatt-hours | +5.2% |
| 1989 | 3,523 kilowatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 1990 | 3,789 kilowatt-hours | +7.6% |
| 1991 | 3,884 kilowatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 3,740 kilowatt-hours | -3.7% |
| 1993 | 3,778 kilowatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 3,781 kilowatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 4,053 kilowatt-hours | +7.2% |
| 1996 | 4,159 kilowatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 3,976 kilowatt-hours | -4.4% |
| 1998 | 3,985 kilowatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 4,142 kilowatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 3,925 kilowatt-hours | -5.2% |
| 2001 | 3,690 kilowatt-hours | -6.0% |
| 2002 | 3,889 kilowatt-hours | +5.4% |
| 2003 | 3,839 kilowatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 3,872 kilowatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 3,838 kilowatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 3,911 kilowatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 3,824 kilowatt-hours | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 3,880 kilowatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 3,943 kilowatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 3,959 kilowatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 4,139 kilowatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 3,979 kilowatt-hours | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 4,090 kilowatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 4,160 kilowatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 4,151 kilowatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 4,346 kilowatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 4,552 kilowatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 4,597 kilowatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 4,648 kilowatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 4,747 kilowatt-hours | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 4,825 kilowatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 5,064 kilowatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 2023 | 5,065 kilowatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 5,322 kilowatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 2025 | 5,597 kilowatt-hours | +5.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3,142 kilowatt-hours | 2,859 kilowatt-hours | 3,523 kilowatt-hours | 7 |
| 1990s | 3,929 kilowatt-hours | 3,740 kilowatt-hours | 4,159 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,861 kilowatt-hours | 3,690 kilowatt-hours | 3,943 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,262 kilowatt-hours | 3,959 kilowatt-hours | 4,648 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,103 kilowatt-hours | 4,747 kilowatt-hours | 5,597 kilowatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More climate change data for United States
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.1% (2100)
- Urban population 80.2% (2025)
- Urban population 274.08 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Population, total 341.79 million (2025)
- Population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Annual Net Emissions/Removals 6,164 (2024)
- Temperature change with respect to a baseline climatology 1.95 (2024)
- Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions including land-use change 20.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from low-carbon sources per person in United States?
- Electricity generation from low-carbon sources per person in United States was 5,597 kilowatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation from low-carbon sources per person recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 5,597 kilowatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from low-carbon sources per person recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,859 kilowatt-hours in 1983.
- How does United States rank for electricity generation from low-carbon sources per person?
- United States ranks 13th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from low-carbon sources per person rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation from low-carbon sources per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in kilowatt-hours per person. Low-carbon sources correspond to renewables and nuclear power, that produce significantly less greenhouse-gas emissions than fossil fuels. Renewables include solar, wind, hydropower, bioenergy, geothermal, wave, and tidal.