Australia vs Papua New Guinea: Electricity Compared

Australia generated 282 TWh of electricity in 2024 and Papua New Guinea 4.73 TWh, according to Ember. Australia's largest source was coal (45.2%); Papua New Guinea's was other fossil (57.1%). Each kWh generated emitted 554 gCO2/kWh in Australia and 516 gCO2/kWh in Papua New Guinea. These are Ember annual statistics for 2024, compiled from national sources; they are not real time.

Ember's latest annual figures for Papua New Guinea are for 2024, while Australia has figures to 2025, so this comparison uses 2024 for both.

Why this comparison: similar electricity demand on the same continent.

Key Facts

Other fossil supplied 57.1% of Papua New Guinea's electricity in 2024, against 2.3% in Australia.
Carbon intensity rose 4% in Papua New Guinea between 2019 and 2024, while it fell 17% in Australia.
The average person in Australia used 10.54 MWh of electricity in 2024, 23.4 times as much as in Papua New Guinea (0.45 MWh).
Low carbon sources supplied 35.1% of Australia's electricity in 2024 and 23.7% of Papua New Guinea's.
Electricity demand in 2024 was 282 TWh in Australia and 4.73 TWh in Papua New Guinea.

Key Figures, 2024

Ember annual statistics

Measure	Australia	Papua New Guinea
Total generation	282 TWh	4.73 TWh
Electricity demand	282 TWh	4.73 TWh
Demand per person	10.54 MWh	0.45 MWh
Carbon intensity	554 gCO2/kWh	516 gCO2/kWh
Power sector emissions	156 MtCO2	2.44 MtCO2
Low carbon share	35.1%	23.7%
Largest source	Coal 45.2%	Other fossil 57.1%

Generation Mix, 2024

Share of generation

Source	Australia	Papua New Guinea
Other fossil	2.3%	57.1%
Coal	45.2%	0.0%
Hydro	4.6%	21.1%
Gas	17.4%	19.2%
Solar	17.8%	0.2%
Wind	11.6%	0.0%
Other renewables	0.0%	2.1%
Bioenergy	1.1%	0.2%

Carbon Intensity, 1985 to 2025

Ember annual statistics

Carbon intensity of electricity generated in Australia and Papua New Guinea each year from 1985 to 2025, in gCO2/kWh. In 2024 it was 554 gCO2/kWh in Australia and 516 gCO2/kWh in Papua New Guinea.

Annual statistics through 2025, gCO2/kWh

Carbon intensity of electricity in Australia and Papua New Guinea, 1985 to 2025
Year	Australia	Papua New Guinea
1985	759 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1986	761 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1987	772 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1988	771 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1989	777 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1990	786 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1991	785 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1992	786 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1993	786 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1994	788 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1995	793 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1996	795 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1997	800 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1998	804 gCO2/kWh	n/a
1999	803 gCO2/kWh	n/a
2000	806 gCO2/kWh	398 gCO2/kWh
2001	803 gCO2/kWh	449 gCO2/kWh
2002	795 gCO2/kWh	463 gCO2/kWh
2003	792 gCO2/kWh	474 gCO2/kWh
2004	793 gCO2/kWh	495 gCO2/kWh
2005	792 gCO2/kWh	459 gCO2/kWh
2006	791 gCO2/kWh	451 gCO2/kWh
2007	791 gCO2/kWh	429 gCO2/kWh
2008	792 gCO2/kWh	434 gCO2/kWh
2009	785 gCO2/kWh	431 gCO2/kWh
2010	776 gCO2/kWh	440 gCO2/kWh
2011	749 gCO2/kWh	428 gCO2/kWh
2012	747 gCO2/kWh	432 gCO2/kWh
2013	726 gCO2/kWh	442 gCO2/kWh
2014	734 gCO2/kWh	454 gCO2/kWh
2015	730 gCO2/kWh	467 gCO2/kWh
2016	714 gCO2/kWh	478 gCO2/kWh
2017	718 gCO2/kWh	492 gCO2/kWh
2018	689 gCO2/kWh	522 gCO2/kWh
2019	670 gCO2/kWh	497 gCO2/kWh
2020	642 gCO2/kWh	493 gCO2/kWh
2021	606 gCO2/kWh	509 gCO2/kWh
2022	578 gCO2/kWh	532 gCO2/kWh
2023	557 gCO2/kWh	516 gCO2/kWh
2024	554 gCO2/kWh	516 gCO2/kWh
2025	525 gCO2/kWh	n/a

Demand per Person, 1985 to 2025

Ember annual statistics

Electricity demand per person in Australia and Papua New Guinea each year from 1985 to 2025, in MWh. In 2024 it was 10.54 MWh in Australia and 0.45 MWh in Papua New Guinea.

Annual statistics through 2025, MWh

Electricity demand per person in Australia and Papua New Guinea, 1985 to 2025
Year	Australia	Papua New Guinea
1985	n/a	n/a
1986	n/a	n/a
1987	n/a	n/a
1988	n/a	n/a
1989	n/a	n/a
1990	n/a	n/a
1991	n/a	n/a
1992	n/a	n/a
1993	n/a	n/a
1994	n/a	n/a
1995	n/a	n/a
1996	n/a	n/a
1997	n/a	n/a
1998	n/a	n/a
1999	n/a	n/a
2000	11.33 MWh	0.39 MWh
2001	11.58 MWh	0.47 MWh
2002	11.41 MWh	0.48 MWh
2003	11.40 MWh	0.53 MWh
2004	11.44 MWh	0.56 MWh
2005	11.37 MWh	0.55 MWh
2006	11.56 MWh	0.50 MWh
2007	11.61 MWh	0.48 MWh
2008	11.48 MWh	0.48 MWh
2009	11.47 MWh	0.46 MWh
2010	11.34 MWh	0.46 MWh
2011	11.40 MWh	0.46 MWh
2012	10.97 MWh	0.46 MWh
2013	10.74 MWh	0.48 MWh
2014	10.50 MWh	0.50 MWh
2015	10.61 MWh	0.52 MWh
2016	10.61 MWh	0.53 MWh
2017	10.47 MWh	0.47 MWh
2018	10.46 MWh	0.46 MWh
2019	10.44 MWh	0.45 MWh
2020	10.30 MWh	0.42 MWh
2021	10.30 MWh	0.45 MWh
2022	10.42 MWh	0.45 MWh
2023	10.33 MWh	0.46 MWh
2024	10.54 MWh	0.45 MWh
2025	10.63 MWh	n/a

Australia history · Papua New Guinea history

Source: Ember (ember-energy.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data as of 2024.

Australia vs Papua New Guinea: Electricity Compared

Key Facts

Key Figures, 2024

Generation Mix, 2024

Carbon Intensity, 1985 to 2025

Demand per Person, 1985 to 2025

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