Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in France
France: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 540.63 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in France, 1990–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, electricity generation from low-carbon sources in France stood at 540.63 terawatt-hours. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from low-carbon sources in France peaked at 540.63 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 368.7 terawatt-hours, in 1990.
France ranks 5th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in France, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 368.7 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1991 | 389.77 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 1992 | 408.07 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 433.46 terawatt-hours | +6.2% |
| 1994 | 439.17 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 450.89 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 464.44 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 460.27 terawatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 451.43 terawatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 467.95 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 482.99 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 497.17 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 499.45 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 502.54 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 510.66 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 506.51 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 511.1 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 504.03 terawatt-hours | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 511.78 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 477.89 terawatt-hours | -6.6% |
| 2010 | 505.2 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2011 | 508.41 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 510.66 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 523.11 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 530.51 terawatt-hours | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 529.27 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 502.2 terawatt-hours | -5.1% |
| 2017 | 490.27 terawatt-hours | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 526.79 terawatt-hours | +7.4% |
| 2019 | 511.91 terawatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 478.86 terawatt-hours | -6.5% |
| 2021 | 501.46 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 408.1 terawatt-hours | -18.6% |
| 2023 | 477.69 terawatt-hours | +17.1% |
| 2024 | 533.12 terawatt-hours | +11.6% |
| 2025 | 540.63 terawatt-hours | +1.4% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 540.63 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.82 terawatt-hours, 55.1× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- France's 540.63 terawatt-hours is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 19.21 terawatt-hours, 28.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 433.41 terawatt-hours | 368.7 terawatt-hours | 467.95 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 500.41 terawatt-hours | 477.89 terawatt-hours | 511.78 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 513.83 terawatt-hours | 490.27 terawatt-hours | 530.51 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 489.98 terawatt-hours | 408.1 terawatt-hours | 540.63 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near France
More climate change data for France
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 2.23 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 55,837 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,820 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 44,017 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 44.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,572 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 16,983 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,451 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 532.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 62.08 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from low-carbon sources in France?
- Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in France was 540.63 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 540.63 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 368.7 terawatt-hours in 1990.
- How does France rank for electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- France ranks 5th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this France 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.