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
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in OECD (EI), 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 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.
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in OECD (EI), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 38.8% | — |
| 1986 | 39.9% | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 39.9% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 40.3% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 38.9% | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 39.3% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 39.9% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 39.8% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 40.7% | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 39.8% | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 40.7% | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 40.6% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 40.0% | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 39.2% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 39.4% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 38.6% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 38.3% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 38.2% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 36.9% | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 37.6% | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 37.3% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 37.7% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 36.4% | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 37.2% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 38.7% | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 38.6% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 38.8% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 38.0% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 39.2% | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 40.1% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 41.0% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 41.6% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 42.6% | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 43.2% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 44.8% | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 46.9% | +4.6% |
| 2021 | 46.8% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 46.8% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 49.1% | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 50.7% | +3.2% |
| 2025 | 51.2% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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)
More climate change data for OECD (EI)
- Electricity generation from low-carbon sources 6,007 terawatt-hours (2025)
- Year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. low-carbon energy 142.15 terawatt-hours (2025)
- Share of primary energy from low-carbon energy 19.3% (2025)
- Share of primary energy that is low-carbon vs. GDP per capita 19.3% (2025)
- Annual change in primary energy from low-carbon energy 142.15 terawatt-hours (2025)
- Annual percentage change in primary energy from low-carbon energy 1.2% (2025)
- Primary energy from low-carbon energy 11,810 terawatt-hours (2025)
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
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.