Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in Australia

Australia: Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy was 0.253 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2017. ▬ Flat

Latest (2017)
0.253 kg CO₂ per kWh
Change on year
down 14.1%
World rank
5th
of 43 countries
All-time high
0.2944 kg CO₂ per kWh
in 2016
All-time low
0.2189 kg CO₂ per kWh
in 2011
Years of data
23
1995–2017

Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in Australia, 1995–2017

00.10.20.31995200620171995: 0.242 kg CO₂ per kWh1996: 0.254 kg CO₂ per kWh1997: 0.26 kg CO₂ per kWh1998: 0.26 kg CO₂ per kWh1999: 0.254 kg CO₂ per kWh2000: 0.249 kg CO₂ per kWh2001: 0.247 kg CO₂ per kWh2002: 0.258 kg CO₂ per kWh2003: 0.257 kg CO₂ per kWh2004: 0.272 kg CO₂ per kWh2005: 0.234 kg CO₂ per kWh2006: 0.239 kg CO₂ per kWh2007: 0.23 kg CO₂ per kWh2008: 0.237 kg CO₂ per kWh2009: 0.239 kg CO₂ per kWh2010: 0.229 kg CO₂ per kWh2011: 0.219 kg CO₂ per kWh2012: 0.251 kg CO₂ per kWh2013: 0.241 kg CO₂ per kWh2014: 0.267 kg CO₂ per kWh2015: 0.268 kg CO₂ per kWh2016: 0.294 kg CO₂ per kWh2017: 0.253 kg CO₂ per kWh

Source: Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in kg CO₂ per kWh.

Analysis

Australia recorded 0.253 kg CO₂ per kWh for production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in 2017.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.1% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in Australia peaked at 0.2944 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.2189 kg CO₂ per kWh, in 2011.

Australia ranks 5th of 43 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in Australia, 1995 to 2017.
Year kg CO₂ per kWh Change
1995 0.2423 kg CO₂ per kWh
1996 0.2536 kg CO₂ per kWh +4.6%
1997 0.2599 kg CO₂ per kWh +2.5%
1998 0.26 kg CO₂ per kWh +0.1%
1999 0.2538 kg CO₂ per kWh -2.4%
2000 0.249 kg CO₂ per kWh -1.9%
2001 0.2473 kg CO₂ per kWh -0.7%
2002 0.2585 kg CO₂ per kWh +4.5%
2003 0.2566 kg CO₂ per kWh -0.7%
2004 0.2724 kg CO₂ per kWh +6.2%
2005 0.2342 kg CO₂ per kWh -14.0%
2006 0.239 kg CO₂ per kWh +2.0%
2007 0.2301 kg CO₂ per kWh -3.7%
2008 0.2367 kg CO₂ per kWh +2.8%
2009 0.2392 kg CO₂ per kWh +1.1%
2010 0.2288 kg CO₂ per kWh -4.4%
2011 0.2189 kg CO₂ per kWh -4.3%
2012 0.2508 kg CO₂ per kWh +14.6%
2013 0.2405 kg CO₂ per kWh -4.1%
2014 0.2671 kg CO₂ per kWh +11.1%
2015 0.2676 kg CO₂ per kWh +0.2%
2016 0.2944 kg CO₂ per kWh +10.0%
2017 0.253 kg CO₂ per kWh -14.1%

Australia compared with similar countries

  • Australia's 0.253 kg CO₂ per kWh is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh, 1.1× the median. (5 countries reporting)
  • Australia's 0.253 kg CO₂ per kWh is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1749 kg CO₂ per kWh, 1.4× the median. (36 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.2539 kg CO₂ per kWh 0.2423 kg CO₂ per kWh 0.26 kg CO₂ per kWh 5
2000s 0.2463 kg CO₂ per kWh 0.2301 kg CO₂ per kWh 0.2724 kg CO₂ per kWh 10
2010s 0.2526 kg CO₂ per kWh 0.2189 kg CO₂ per kWh 0.2944 kg CO₂ per kWh 8

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 2 South Africa 0.2637 kg CO₂ per kWh compare
  2. 3 Turkey 0.2612 kg CO₂ per kWh compare
  3. 4 China 0.2583 kg CO₂ per kWh compare
  4. 6 Switzerland 0.2491 kg CO₂ per kWh compare
  5. 7 South Korea 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh compare
  6. 8 Indonesia 0.2293 kg CO₂ per kWh compare

See the full ranking of 43 places →

More climate change data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in Australia?
Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in Australia was 0.253 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2017, according to Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 0.2944 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2016.
What is the lowest production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2189 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2011.
How does Australia rank for production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy?
Australia ranks 5th out of 43 countries with data for 2017.
Is production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/production-consumption-carbon-intensity-energy/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy
Unit
kg CO₂ per kWh
Source
Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
43 places, 1,063 data points, 1995–2019
Last refreshed

Carbon intensity is measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted per kilowatt-hour of energy. Consumption-based metrics adjust for the energy or emissions embedded in traded goods: it is production-based emissions and energy minus exported goods; plus the energy or emissions from imported goods.