Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Australia
Australia: Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 38.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Australia, 1990–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Australia stood at 38.6%. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.1% on the previous year and up 174.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Australia peaked at 38.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 7.7%, in 2001.
Australia ranks 102nd of 213 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.
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 10.0% | — |
| 1991 | 10.4% | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 10.3% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 10.3% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 9.9% | -4.0% |
| 1995 | 9.4% | -5.1% |
| 1996 | 9.4% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 9.0% | -4.5% |
| 1998 | 8.5% | -5.6% |
| 1999 | 8.5% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 8.1% | -4.4% |
| 2001 | 7.7% | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 8.0% | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 8.3% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 8.5% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 9.0% | +6.2% |
| 2006 | 8.9% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 8.3% | -6.1% |
| 2008 | 7.8% | -6.6% |
| 2009 | 8.1% | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 8.8% | +9.5% |
| 2011 | 11.9% | +35.3% |
| 2012 | 12.1% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 14.2% | +17.9% |
| 2014 | 13.2% | -7.1% |
| 2015 | 14.1% | +6.6% |
| 2016 | 16.2% | +14.7% |
| 2017 | 15.1% | -6.4% |
| 2018 | 18.8% | +24.5% |
| 2019 | 20.8% | +10.3% |
| 2020 | 24.2% | +16.7% |
| 2021 | 28.9% | +19.2% |
| 2022 | 32.0% | +10.9% |
| 2023 | 34.8% | +8.7% |
| 2024 | 35.1% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 38.6% | +10.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 38.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 40.0%, 97% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Australia's 38.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 25.0%, 1.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.6% | 8.5% | 10.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.3% | 7.7% | 9.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.5% | 8.8% | 20.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.3% | 24.2% | 38.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Australia?
- Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Australia was 38.6% in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 38.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.7% in 2001.
- How does Australia rank for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- Australia ranks 102nd out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 174.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region. 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.