Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Iceland
Iceland: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 19.05 terawatt-hours in 2024. ▲ Rising
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Iceland, 1990–2024
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
Iceland recorded 19.05 terawatt-hours for electricity generation from low-carbon sources in 2024.
That represents a change of down 3.8% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Iceland peaked at 19.87 terawatt-hours in 2022 and was at its lowest, 4.42 terawatt-hours, in 1991.
Iceland ranks 57th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Iceland, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.44 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1991 | 4.42 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 4.53 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 4.72 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 4.77 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 4.97 terawatt-hours | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 5.11 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 5.57 terawatt-hours | +9.2% |
| 1998 | 6.27 terawatt-hours | +12.4% |
| 1999 | 7.18 terawatt-hours | +14.5% |
| 2000 | 7.61 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 2001 | 7.96 terawatt-hours | +4.6% |
| 2002 | 8.34 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 8.43 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 8.54 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 8.61 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 9.85 terawatt-hours | +14.4% |
| 2007 | 11.89 terawatt-hours | +20.7% |
| 2008 | 16.34 terawatt-hours | +37.4% |
| 2009 | 16.71 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 16.74 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 16.85 terawatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 17.29 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 17.99 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 17.8 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 18.55 terawatt-hours | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 18.17 terawatt-hours | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 19.07 terawatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 19.69 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 19.36 terawatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 18.89 terawatt-hours | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 19.39 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 19.87 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 19.81 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 19.05 terawatt-hours | -3.8% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 19.05 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.82 terawatt-hours, 1.9× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 19.05 terawatt-hours is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 19.21 terawatt-hours, 99% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Iceland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +37.4% | 11.89 terawatt-hours | 16.34 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.2 terawatt-hours | 4.42 terawatt-hours | 7.18 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.43 terawatt-hours | 7.61 terawatt-hours | 16.71 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.15 terawatt-hours | 16.74 terawatt-hours | 19.69 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.4 terawatt-hours | 18.89 terawatt-hours | 19.87 terawatt-hours | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 54 Tajikistan 23.28 terawatt-hours compare
- 55 Iran 22.56 terawatt-hours compare
- 56 Belarus 19.21 terawatt-hours compare
- 58 Kazakhstan 18.38 terawatt-hours compare
- 59 Zambia 17.25 terawatt-hours compare
- 60 North Korea 17.17 terawatt-hours compare
More climate change data for Iceland
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 16.80 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 462.45 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 110.24 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 352.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 12.58 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 92.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 92.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.3504 kt (2050)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 92.72 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Iceland?
- Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Iceland was 19.05 terawatt-hours in 2024, 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 19.87 terawatt-hours in 2022.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.42 terawatt-hours in 1991.
- How does Iceland rank for electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- Iceland ranks 57th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland 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 — 35 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.