Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Japan
Japan: Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 32.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Japan, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Japan recorded 32.7% for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in 2025.
That represents a change of up 4.5% on the previous year and up 112.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Japan peaked at 40.7% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 11.7%, in 2012.
That places Japan 111th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 38.0% | — |
| 1986 | 38.4% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 38.7% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 37.2% | -3.9% |
| 1989 | 36.8% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 33.2% | -9.8% |
| 1991 | 34.5% | +4.0% |
| 1992 | 33.7% | -2.4% |
| 1993 | 38.0% | +12.7% |
| 1994 | 34.2% | -10.1% |
| 1995 | 37.6% | +10.1% |
| 1996 | 37.8% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 40.2% | +6.5% |
| 1998 | 40.7% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 38.7% | -4.9% |
| 2000 | 38.2% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 38.7% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 37.4% | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 31.3% | -16.3% |
| 2004 | 35.5% | +13.4% |
| 2005 | 34.3% | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 36.0% | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 32.3% | -10.3% |
| 2008 | 29.9% | -7.4% |
| 2009 | 33.4% | +11.7% |
| 2010 | 35.5% | +6.4% |
| 2011 | 25.0% | -29.5% |
| 2012 | 11.7% | -53.3% |
| 2013 | 12.4% | +6.3% |
| 2014 | 12.6% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 15.4% | +22.1% |
| 2016 | 15.9% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 17.9% | +12.1% |
| 2018 | 20.7% | +16.0% |
| 2019 | 23.1% | +11.5% |
| 2020 | 23.3% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 26.0% | +11.5% |
| 2022 | 25.5% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 29.8% | +17.2% |
| 2024 | 31.3% | +4.9% |
| 2025 | 32.7% | +4.5% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 32.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 40.0%, 82% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Japan's 32.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 25.0%, 1.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | -53.3% | 25.0% | 11.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 37.8% | 36.8% | 38.7% | 5 |
| 1990s | 36.9% | 33.2% | 40.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.7% | 29.9% | 38.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.0% | 11.7% | 35.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.1% | 23.3% | 32.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More climate change data for Japan
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 337.64 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,181 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,633 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 8,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 13.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 305.27 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 9,462 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,401 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 7,061 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 9.06 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Japan?
- Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Japan was 32.7% 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 40.7% in 1998.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.7% in 2012.
- How does Japan rank for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- Japan ranks 111th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 112.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.