Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 61.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Sri Lanka, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 61.6% for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in 2025.
That represents a change of up 11.5% on the previous year and up 26.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Sri Lanka peaked at 99.8% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 29.4%, in 2012.
That places Sri Lanka 70th 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 97.2% | — |
| 1986 | 99.8% | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 80.4% | -19.4% |
| 1988 | 92.8% | +15.4% |
| 1989 | 98.0% | +5.6% |
| 1990 | 99.8% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 92.3% | -7.6% |
| 1992 | 81.9% | -11.2% |
| 1993 | 95.4% | +16.5% |
| 1994 | 93.2% | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 94.0% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 71.8% | -23.6% |
| 1997 | 67.0% | -6.7% |
| 1998 | 69.0% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 66.6% | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 47.3% | -28.9% |
| 2001 | 46.8% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 38.9% | -16.8% |
| 2003 | 43.5% | +11.8% |
| 2004 | 36.7% | -15.6% |
| 2005 | 39.3% | +7.2% |
| 2006 | 49.3% | +25.2% |
| 2007 | 40.2% | -18.4% |
| 2008 | 41.9% | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 39.6% | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 53.5% | +34.9% |
| 2011 | 41.2% | -22.9% |
| 2012 | 29.4% | -28.6% |
| 2013 | 60.2% | +104.7% |
| 2014 | 39.4% | -34.6% |
| 2015 | 48.8% | +23.9% |
| 2016 | 33.0% | -32.3% |
| 2017 | 31.0% | -5.9% |
| 2018 | 43.9% | +41.4% |
| 2019 | 33.8% | -23.0% |
| 2020 | 35.6% | +5.3% |
| 2021 | 49.4% | +38.9% |
| 2022 | 50.3% | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 48.6% | -3.5% |
| 2024 | 55.2% | +13.7% |
| 2025 | 61.6% | +11.5% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 61.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 26.8%, 2.3× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 61.6% is above the median for South Asia, which is 44.1%, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 93.6% | 80.4% | 99.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 83.1% | 66.6% | 99.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.4% | 36.7% | 49.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.4% | 29.4% | 60.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.1% | 35.6% | 61.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More climate change data for Sri Lanka
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 327.09 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,418 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 618.46 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,800 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 100 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,168 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,071 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,097 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.82 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Sri Lanka?
- Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in Sri Lanka was 61.6% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.4% in 2012.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- Sri Lanka ranks 70th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.