Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 10.63 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Sri Lanka, 1965–2025
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 Sri Lanka stood at 10.63 terawatt-hours. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.7% on the previous year and up 65.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Sri Lanka peaked at 10.63 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.365 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
Sri Lanka ranks 80th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0.365 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 0.399 terawatt-hours | +9.3% |
| 1967 | 0.41 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1968 | 0.474 terawatt-hours | +15.6% |
| 1969 | 0.549 terawatt-hours | +15.8% |
| 1970 | 0.7403 terawatt-hours | +34.8% |
| 1971 | 0.8255 terawatt-hours | +11.5% |
| 1972 | 0.8471 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 0.6957 terawatt-hours | -17.9% |
| 1974 | 0.9976 terawatt-hours | +43.4% |
| 1975 | 1.08 terawatt-hours | +7.9% |
| 1976 | 1.11 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 1977 | 1.21 terawatt-hours | +9.4% |
| 1978 | 1.37 terawatt-hours | +12.6% |
| 1979 | 1.46 terawatt-hours | +7.0% |
| 1980 | 1.48 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 1.57 terawatt-hours | +6.2% |
| 1982 | 1.61 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 1.22 terawatt-hours | -24.3% |
| 1984 | 2.09 terawatt-hours | +71.9% |
| 1985 | 2.4 terawatt-hours | +14.5% |
| 1986 | 2.65 terawatt-hours | +10.4% |
| 1987 | 2.18 terawatt-hours | -17.7% |
| 1988 | 2.6 terawatt-hours | +19.3% |
| 1989 | 2.8 terawatt-hours | +7.9% |
| 1990 | 3.14 terawatt-hours | +12.3% |
| 1991 | 3.12 terawatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 2.9 terawatt-hours | -7.0% |
| 1993 | 3.8 terawatt-hours | +30.9% |
| 1994 | 4.09 terawatt-hours | +7.7% |
| 1995 | 4.51 terawatt-hours | +10.4% |
| 1996 | 3.25 terawatt-hours | -28.0% |
| 1997 | 3.45 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 1998 | 3.91 terawatt-hours | +13.6% |
| 1999 | 4.18 terawatt-hours | +6.8% |
| 2000 | 3.21 terawatt-hours | -23.2% |
| 2001 | 3.12 terawatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 2.7 terawatt-hours | -13.5% |
| 2003 | 3.32 terawatt-hours | +23.0% |
| 2004 | 2.97 terawatt-hours | -10.5% |
| 2005 | 3.47 terawatt-hours | +16.8% |
| 2006 | 4.65 terawatt-hours | +34.0% |
| 2007 | 3.97 terawatt-hours | -14.6% |
| 2008 | 4.16 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 3.92 terawatt-hours | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 5.73 terawatt-hours | +46.2% |
| 2011 | 4.76 terawatt-hours | -16.9% |
| 2012 | 3.47 terawatt-hours | -27.1% |
| 2013 | 7.21 terawatt-hours | +107.8% |
| 2014 | 4.9 terawatt-hours | -32.0% |
| 2015 | 6.44 terawatt-hours | +31.4% |
| 2016 | 4.72 terawatt-hours | -26.7% |
| 2017 | 4.62 terawatt-hours | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 7.05 terawatt-hours | +52.6% |
| 2019 | 5.63 terawatt-hours | -20.1% |
| 2020 | 5.87 terawatt-hours | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 8.65 terawatt-hours | +47.4% |
| 2022 | 8.43 terawatt-hours | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 7.96 terawatt-hours | -5.6% |
| 2024 | 9.43 terawatt-hours | +18.5% |
| 2025 | 10.63 terawatt-hours | +12.7% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 10.63 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.59 terawatt-hours, 1.9× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 10.63 terawatt-hours is below the median for South Asia, which is 10.82 terawatt-hours, 98% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +107.8% | 3.47 terawatt-hours | 7.21 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.4394 terawatt-hours | 0.365 terawatt-hours | 0.549 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 1.03 terawatt-hours | 0.6957 terawatt-hours | 1.46 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.06 terawatt-hours | 1.22 terawatt-hours | 2.8 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.64 terawatt-hours | 2.9 terawatt-hours | 4.51 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.55 terawatt-hours | 2.7 terawatt-hours | 4.65 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.45 terawatt-hours | 3.47 terawatt-hours | 7.21 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.49 terawatt-hours | 5.87 terawatt-hours | 10.63 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More climate change data for Sri Lanka
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 327.09 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,418 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 618.46 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,800 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,168 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,071 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,097 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.82 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Sri Lanka?
- Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Sri Lanka was 10.63 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 10.63 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.365 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- Sri Lanka ranks 80th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 65.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 61 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.