Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 64.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United Kingdom, 1920–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 64.4% for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and up 42.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United Kingdom peaked at 64.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1925.
That places United Kingdom 65th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 0.3% | — |
| 1921 | 0.2% | -14.3% |
| 1922 | 0.2% | +11.6% |
| 1923 | 0.3% | +1.3% |
| 1924 | 0.2% | -9.0% |
| 1925 | 0.2% | -5.3% |
| 1926 | 0.4% | +71.0% |
| 1927 | 1.2% | +215.8% |
| 1928 | 1.3% | +12.9% |
| 1929 | 3.0% | +124.2% |
| 1930 | 3.7% | +24.3% |
| 1931 | 2.9% | -20.7% |
| 1932 | 2.5% | -15.8% |
| 1933 | 3.0% | +23.3% |
| 1934 | 3.6% | +18.5% |
| 1935 | 3.3% | -7.1% |
| 1936 | 3.3% | -0.2% |
| 1937 | 4.1% | +23.0% |
| 1938 | 3.7% | -8.3% |
| 1939 | 2.8% | -25.2% |
| 1940 | 2.6% | -7.6% |
| 1941 | 3.1% | +19.8% |
| 1942 | 3.6% | +16.9% |
| 1943 | 3.1% | -14.8% |
| 1944 | 3.1% | +0.1% |
| 1945 | 2.8% | -10.0% |
| 1946 | 2.7% | -4.1% |
| 1947 | 1.9% | -27.7% |
| 1948 | 1.5% | -22.7% |
| 1949 | 1.9% | +28.3% |
| 1950 | 2.3% | +20.6% |
| 1951 | 2.4% | +4.6% |
| 1952 | 2.4% | -1.1% |
| 1953 | 2.8% | +15.6% |
| 1954 | 1.8% | -34.8% |
| 1955 | 2.3% | +28.1% |
| 1956 | 3.0% | +31.1% |
| 1957 | 2.7% | -11.4% |
| 1958 | 3.3% | +23.5% |
| 1959 | 4.0% | +19.6% |
| 1960 | 4.4% | +12.4% |
| 1961 | 4.8% | +8.5% |
| 1962 | 5.9% | +21.5% |
| 1963 | 6.8% | +15.5% |
| 1964 | 10.3% | +51.6% |
| 1965 | 9.7% | -5.0% |
| 1966 | 11.8% | +21.3% |
| 1967 | 12.6% | +6.7% |
| 1968 | 12.5% | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 13.0% | +3.8% |
| 1970 | 11.9% | -8.4% |
| 1971 | 11.7% | -1.5% |
| 1972 | 11.6% | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 11.7% | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 13.9% | +18.9% |
| 1975 | 12.4% | -10.9% |
| 1976 | 14.4% | +16.4% |
| 1977 | 15.3% | +6.3% |
| 1978 | 13.8% | -9.9% |
| 1979 | 15.0% | +8.6% |
| 1980 | 14.8% | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 15.5% | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 17.5% | +12.5% |
| 1983 | 19.3% | +10.3% |
| 1984 | 19.7% | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 21.8% | +10.9% |
| 1986 | 21.2% | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 19.7% | -7.2% |
| 1988 | 22.1% | +12.5% |
| 1989 | 24.3% | +9.9% |
| 1990 | 22.4% | -8.1% |
| 1991 | 23.5% | +5.0% |
| 1992 | 25.9% | +10.3% |
| 1993 | 29.4% | +13.6% |
| 1994 | 29.2% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 28.3% | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 28.6% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 30.0% | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 29.8% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 28.5% | -4.6% |
| 2000 | 25.2% | -11.5% |
| 2001 | 25.9% | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 25.6% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 25.0% | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 23.9% | -4.2% |
| 2005 | 24.7% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 23.5% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 20.8% | -11.5% |
| 2008 | 19.1% | -8.2% |
| 2009 | 25.0% | +30.9% |
| 2010 | 23.1% | -7.7% |
| 2011 | 28.3% | +22.5% |
| 2012 | 30.7% | +8.4% |
| 2013 | 34.6% | +12.6% |
| 2014 | 37.9% | +9.8% |
| 2015 | 45.4% | +19.6% |
| 2016 | 45.6% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 50.0% | +9.7% |
| 2018 | 52.5% | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 53.8% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 59.3% | +10.2% |
| 2021 | 54.8% | -7.6% |
| 2022 | 56.2% | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 60.3% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | 64.9% | +7.8% |
| 2025 | 64.4% | -0.8% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 64.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 40.0%, 1.6× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 64.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 71.9%, 90% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United Kingdom 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | +215.8% | 0.4% | 1.2% |
| 1929 | +124.2% | 1.3% | 3.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 0.7% | 0.2% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1930s | 3.3% | 2.5% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.6% | 1.5% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.7% | 1.8% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 9.2% | 4.4% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.2% | 11.6% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.6% | 14.8% | 24.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.6% | 22.4% | 30.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.9% | 19.1% | 25.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.2% | 23.1% | 53.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.0% | 54.8% | 64.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More climate change data for United Kingdom
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 37,706 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 8,697 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 29,008 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 32.82 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,036 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,083 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 7,027 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 55.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 26.52 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United Kingdom?
- Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United Kingdom was 64.4% 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 64.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1925.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- United Kingdom ranks 65th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 106 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.