Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in China
China: Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 41.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in China, 1985–2025
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 China stood at 41.7%. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
That represents a change of up 9.1% on the previous year and up 54.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in China peaked at 41.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 17.2%, in 2007.
That places China 96th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 22.5% | — |
| 1986 | 21.0% | -6.5% |
| 1987 | 20.1% | -4.4% |
| 1988 | 20.0% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 20.2% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 20.4% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 18.4% | -9.8% |
| 1992 | 17.4% | -5.7% |
| 1993 | 18.9% | +9.1% |
| 1994 | 19.7% | +4.1% |
| 1995 | 20.6% | +4.2% |
| 1996 | 18.9% | -8.3% |
| 1997 | 18.8% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 18.5% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 17.3% | -6.4% |
| 2000 | 17.9% | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 20.1% | +12.7% |
| 2002 | 19.1% | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 17.3% | -9.6% |
| 2004 | 18.5% | +7.0% |
| 2005 | 18.3% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 17.5% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 17.2% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 21.0% | +22.3% |
| 2009 | 19.8% | -5.8% |
| 2010 | 20.5% | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 18.7% | -8.8% |
| 2012 | 22.0% | +17.9% |
| 2013 | 22.2% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 24.5% | +10.7% |
| 2015 | 26.9% | +9.6% |
| 2016 | 28.3% | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 29.0% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 29.7% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 31.5% | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 32.8% | +4.1% |
| 2021 | 33.5% | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 34.9% | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 35.2% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 38.2% | +8.4% |
| 2025 | 41.7% | +9.1% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 41.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 26.8%, 1.6× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- China's 41.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 25.0%, 1.7× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.8% | 20.0% | 22.5% | 5 |
| 1990s | 18.9% | 17.3% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.7% | 17.2% | 21.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.3% | 18.7% | 31.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.0% | 32.8% | 41.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More climate change data for China
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 31.25 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 604,831 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 191,478 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 413,353 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 722.56 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 14,763 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 342,069 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 200,605 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 141,464 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 757 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in China?
- Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in China was 41.7% 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 41.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.2% in 2007.
- How does China rank for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- China ranks 96th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 54.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China 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 — 41 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.