Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in OECD (EI)

OECD (EI): Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 51.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
51.2%
Change on year
up 1.0%
Rank
1st
of 2 groups
All-time high
51.2%
in 2025
All-time low
36.4%
in 2007
Years of data
41
1985–2025

Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in OECD (EI), 1985–2025

02040601985200520251985: 38.8 %1986: 39.9 %1987: 39.9 %1988: 40.3 %1989: 38.9 %1990: 39.3 %1991: 39.9 %1992: 39.8 %1993: 40.7 %1994: 39.8 %1995: 40.7 %1996: 40.6 %1997: 40 %1998: 39.2 %1999: 39.4 %2000: 38.6 %2001: 38.3 %2002: 38.2 %2003: 36.9 %2004: 37.6 %2005: 37.3 %2006: 37.7 %2007: 36.4 %2008: 37.2 %2009: 38.7 %2010: 38.6 %2011: 38.8 %2012: 38 %2013: 39.2 %2014: 40.1 %2015: 41 %2016: 41.6 %2017: 42.6 %2018: 43.2 %2019: 44.8 %2020: 46.9 %2021: 46.8 %2022: 46.8 %2023: 49.1 %2024: 50.7 %2025: 51.2 %

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 OECD (EI) stood at 51.2%. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 24.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in OECD (EI) peaked at 51.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 36.4%, in 2007.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 39.6% 38.8% 40.3% 5
1990s 39.9% 39.2% 40.7% 10
2000s 37.7% 36.4% 38.7% 10
2010s 40.8% 38.0% 44.8% 10
2020s 48.6% 46.8% 51.2% 6

Countries ranked near OECD (EI)

  1. 1 Albania 100.0% compare
  2. 1 Bhutan 100.0% compare
  3. 1 Central African Republic 100.0% compare
  4. 1 Costa Rica 100.0% compare
  5. 1 Democratic Republic of Congo 100.0% compare
  6. 1 Ethiopia 100.0% compare
  7. 1 Iceland 100.0% compare
  8. 1 Lesotho 100.0% compare
  9. 1 Nepal 100.0% compare
  10. 1 Paraguay 100.0% compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More climate change data for OECD (EI)

All data for OECD (EI) →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in OECD (EI)?
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in OECD (EI) was 51.2% 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 OECD (EI)?
The highest recorded value was 51.2% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in OECD (EI)?
The lowest recorded value was 36.4% in 2007.
How does OECD (EI) rank for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
OECD (EI) ranks 1st out of 2 groups with data for 2025.
Is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in OECD (EI)?
Over the last ten years it is up 24.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this OECD (EI) 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

Indicator
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources
Unit
%
Source
Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 6,483 data points, 1920–2025
Last refreshed

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.