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 209 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
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
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.1% (2100)
- Population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Population, total 341.79 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Urban population 274.08 million (2025)
- Urban population 80.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 434.87 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
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 209 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.