Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in New Zealand
New Zealand: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 38.37 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in New Zealand, 1974–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for electricity generation from low-carbon sources in New Zealand is 38.37 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from low-carbon sources in New Zealand peaked at 38.44 terawatt-hours in 2023 and was at its lowest, 16.7 terawatt-hours, in 1977.
New Zealand ranks 42nd of 209 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 18.05 terawatt-hours | 16.7 terawatt-hours | 20.32 terawatt-hours | 6 |
| 1980s | 22.76 terawatt-hours | 20.27 terawatt-hours | 25.14 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.31 terawatt-hours | 24.16 terawatt-hours | 30.56 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.05 terawatt-hours | 25 terawatt-hours | 30.79 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.2 terawatt-hours | 31.38 terawatt-hours | 36.47 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.15 terawatt-hours | 35.08 terawatt-hours | 38.44 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More climate change data for New Zealand
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.1% (2100)
- Population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Population, total 5.32 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Urban population 4.47 million (2025)
- Urban population 84.0% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 6.23 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 2.01 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 6.23 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 6.23 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from low-carbon sources in New Zealand?
- Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in New Zealand was 38.37 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 New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 38.44 terawatt-hours in 2023.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.7 terawatt-hours in 1977.
- How does New Zealand rank for electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- New Zealand ranks 42nd out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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 — 52 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.