Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United States
United States: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 1,944 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United States, 1983–2025
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 United States stood at 1,944 terawatt-hours. That is the highest value across all 43 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.7% on the previous year and up 43.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United States peaked at 1,944 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 677.62 terawatt-hours, in 1983.
United States ranks 2nd of 214 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United States, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 677.62 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1984 | 708.07 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 1985 | 727.48 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 771.52 terawatt-hours | +6.1% |
| 1987 | 777.32 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 825.5 terawatt-hours | +6.2% |
| 1989 | 883.18 terawatt-hours | +7.0% |
| 1990 | 960.15 terawatt-hours | +8.7% |
| 1991 | 996.14 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 970.91 terawatt-hours | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 992.1 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 1,004 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 1,087 terawatt-hours | +8.3% |
| 1996 | 1,126 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 1,087 terawatt-hours | -3.5% |
| 1998 | 1,100 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 1,155 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 1,105 terawatt-hours | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 1,049 terawatt-hours | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 1,116 terawatt-hours | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 1,113 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 1,134 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 1,135 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 1,168 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 1,154 terawatt-hours | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 1,183 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 1,214 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 1,231 terawatt-hours | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 1,300 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 2012 | 1,262 terawatt-hours | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 1,309 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 1,344 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 1,354 terawatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 1,431 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 1,512 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2018 | 1,540 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 1,570 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 1,611 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 1,641 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 1,730 terawatt-hours | +5.4% |
| 2023 | 1,740 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 1,838 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2025 | 1,944 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 1,944 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.82 terawatt-hours, 197.9× the median. (75 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 767.24 terawatt-hours | 677.62 terawatt-hours | 883.18 terawatt-hours | 7 |
| 1990s | 1,048 terawatt-hours | 960.15 terawatt-hours | 1,155 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,137 terawatt-hours | 1,049 terawatt-hours | 1,214 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,385 terawatt-hours | 1,231 terawatt-hours | 1,570 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,751 terawatt-hours | 1,611 terawatt-hours | 1,944 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More climate change data for United States
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 274,482 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 60,922 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 213,560 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 229.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 7,627 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 107,381 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 89,068 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 18,313 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 336.11 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 654.05 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United States?
- Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United States was 1,944 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 1,944 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 677.62 terawatt-hours in 1983.
- How does United States rank for electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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 — 43 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.