Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Australia
Australia: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 110.58 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Australia, 1990–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
Australia recorded 110.58 terawatt-hours for electricity generation from low-carbon sources in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of up 11.9% on the previous year and up 208.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Australia peaked at 110.58 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 15.52 terawatt-hours, in 1990.
That places Australia 18th out of 214 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Australia, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 15.52 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1991 | 16.38 terawatt-hours | +5.5% |
| 1992 | 16.62 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 17.07 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 16.87 terawatt-hours | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 16.48 terawatt-hours | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 16.95 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 16.99 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 16.93 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 17.5 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 17.54 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 17.26 terawatt-hours | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 17.95 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 18.66 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 19.38 terawatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 20.72 terawatt-hours | +6.9% |
| 2006 | 21.14 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 20.29 terawatt-hours | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 19.12 terawatt-hours | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 20.16 terawatt-hours | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 22.16 terawatt-hours | +9.9% |
| 2011 | 30.61 terawatt-hours | +38.1% |
| 2012 | 30.27 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 35.53 terawatt-hours | +17.4% |
| 2014 | 32.76 terawatt-hours | -7.8% |
| 2015 | 35.8 terawatt-hours | +9.3% |
| 2016 | 41.74 terawatt-hours | +16.6% |
| 2017 | 39.19 terawatt-hours | -6.1% |
| 2018 | 49.49 terawatt-hours | +26.3% |
| 2019 | 55.26 terawatt-hours | +11.7% |
| 2020 | 64.28 terawatt-hours | +16.3% |
| 2021 | 77.27 terawatt-hours | +20.2% |
| 2022 | 87.44 terawatt-hours | +13.2% |
| 2023 | 95.07 terawatt-hours | +8.7% |
| 2024 | 98.79 terawatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2025 | 110.58 terawatt-hours | +11.9% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 110.58 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.82 terawatt-hours, 11.3× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Australia's 110.58 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.98 terawatt-hours, 112.8× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.73 terawatt-hours | 15.52 terawatt-hours | 17.5 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.22 terawatt-hours | 17.26 terawatt-hours | 21.14 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.28 terawatt-hours | 22.16 terawatt-hours | 55.26 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.9 terawatt-hours | 64.28 terawatt-hours | 110.58 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Australia?
- Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Australia was 110.58 terawatt-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 recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 110.58 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.52 terawatt-hours in 1990.
- How does Australia rank for electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- Australia ranks 18th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 208.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours. 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.