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
Latest (2025)
38.37 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
42nd
of 214 countries
All-time high
38.44 terawatt-hours
in 2023
All-time low
16.7 terawatt-hours
in 1977
Years of data
52
1974–2025
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 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 17.27 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1975 | 18.77 terawatt-hours | +8.7% |
| 1976 | 17.55 terawatt-hours | -6.5% |
| 1977 | 16.7 terawatt-hours | -4.9% |
| 1978 | 17.66 terawatt-hours | +5.8% |
| 1979 | 20.32 terawatt-hours | +15.1% |
| 1980 | 21.34 terawatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 1981 | 21.62 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 20.27 terawatt-hours | -6.2% |
| 1983 | 21.74 terawatt-hours | +7.2% |
| 1984 | 22.52 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 21.72 terawatt-hours | -3.5% |
| 1986 | 24.18 terawatt-hours | +11.3% |
| 1987 | 24.01 terawatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 25.05 terawatt-hours | +4.3% |
| 1989 | 25.14 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 26.14 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 26.02 terawatt-hours | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 24.16 terawatt-hours | -7.1% |
| 1993 | 26.71 terawatt-hours | +10.6% |
| 1994 | 28.91 terawatt-hours | +8.2% |
| 1995 | 30.56 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 1996 | 29.14 terawatt-hours | -4.6% |
| 1997 | 26.32 terawatt-hours | -9.7% |
| 1998 | 28.65 terawatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 1999 | 26.51 terawatt-hours | -7.5% |
| 2000 | 27.92 terawatt-hours | +5.3% |
| 2001 | 25 terawatt-hours | -10.5% |
| 2002 | 28 terawatt-hours | +12.0% |
| 2003 | 26.68 terawatt-hours | -4.7% |
| 2004 | 30.6 terawatt-hours | +14.7% |
| 2005 | 27.36 terawatt-hours | -10.6% |
| 2006 | 27.88 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 28.41 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 27.87 terawatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 30.79 terawatt-hours | +10.5% |
| 2010 | 32.4 terawatt-hours | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 33.33 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 31.38 terawatt-hours | -5.9% |
| 2013 | 31.68 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 33.95 terawatt-hours | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 34.89 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 36.39 terawatt-hours | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 35.46 terawatt-hours | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 36.47 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 36.06 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 35.08 terawatt-hours | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 35.59 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 37.6 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 2023 | 38.44 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 37.84 terawatt-hours | -1.6% |
| 2025 | 38.37 terawatt-hours | +1.4% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 38.37 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.82 terawatt-hours, 3.9× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 38.37 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.98 terawatt-hours, 39.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
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
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 113.13 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 46,323 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,983 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,340 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 45.22 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,226 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 694.4 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 691.2 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3.2 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.61 kt (2050)
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 214 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.