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.
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 27.4% | — |
| 1986 | 28.8% | +5.3% |
| 1987 | 28.0% | -2.7% |
| 1988 | 28.3% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 28.0% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 29.7% | +6.1% |
| 1991 | 30.5% | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 29.6% | -2.9% |
| 1993 | 29.1% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 29.0% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 30.5% | +5.0% |
| 1996 | 30.7% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 29.3% | -4.8% |
| 1998 | 28.5% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 29.3% | +2.8% |
| 2000 | 29.1% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 28.1% | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 29.0% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 28.8% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 28.7% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 28.1% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 28.9% | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 27.9% | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 28.8% | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 30.8% | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 29.9% | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 31.8% | +6.2% |
| 2012 | 31.2% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 32.3% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 32.8% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 33.1% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 35.0% | +5.6% |
| 2017 | 37.3% | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 36.7% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 37.8% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 39.9% | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 39.5% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 40.3% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 40.9% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 41.9% | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 43.0% | +2.7% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 43.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 40.0%, 1.1× the median. (75 countries reporting)
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
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 274,482 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 60,922 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 213,560 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 229.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 7,627 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 107,381 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 89,068 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 18,313 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 336.11 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 654.05 kt (2050)
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.