Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United States
United States: Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 43.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United States, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States recorded 43.0% for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in 2025. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
The figure is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 29.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United States peaked at 43.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 27.4%, in 1985.
That places United States 94th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 28.1% | 27.4% | 28.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 29.6% | 28.5% | 30.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.8% | 27.9% | 30.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.8% | 29.9% | 37.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.9% | 39.5% | 43.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More climate change data for United States
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.1% (2100)
- Population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Population, total 341.79 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Urban population 274.08 million (2025)
- Urban population 80.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 434.87 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United States?
- Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United States was 43.0% 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 States?
- The highest recorded value was 43.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.4% in 1985.
- How does United States rank for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- United States ranks 94th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.