Ethiopia Has the Cleanest Electricity Grid, 23 gCO2/kWh in 2025
Among 82 countries generating at least 10 TWh with a valid figure in 2025, Ethiopia had the lowest carbon intensity: 23 gCO2/kWh. Next are Costa Rica (25 gCO2/kWh), Paraguay (25 gCO2/kWh) and Iceland (28 gCO2/kWh). The world average was 460 gCO2/kWh in 2025. Carbon intensity is the CO2 emitted per kilowatt hour of electricity generated, counting lifecycle emissions from every source.
Top 20, 2025
Carbon intensity| Country | Carbon intensity | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 23 gCO2/kWh | 33.4 TWh |
| 2. 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 25 gCO2/kWh | 12.9 TWh |
| 3. 🇵🇾 Paraguay | 25 gCO2/kWh | 45.4 TWh |
| 4. 🇮🇸 Iceland | 28 gCO2/kWh | 18.3 TWh |
| 5. 🇳🇴 Norway | 28 gCO2/kWh | 161 TWh |
| 6. 🇸🇪 Sweden | 35 gCO2/kWh | 170 TWh |
| 7. 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 39 gCO2/kWh | 65.0 TWh |
| 8. 🇫🇷 France | 41 gCO2/kWh | 574 TWh |
| 9. 🇫🇮 Finland | 57 gCO2/kWh | 82.3 TWh |
| 10. 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | 73 gCO2/kWh | 24.0 TWh |
| 11. 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | 80 gCO2/kWh | 12.9 TWh |
| 12. 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 81 gCO2/kWh | 12.0 TWh |
| 13. 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 95 gCO2/kWh | 29.1 TWh |
| 14. 🇰🇪 Kenya | 96 gCO2/kWh | 14.1 TWh |
| 15. 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 97 gCO2/kWh | 44.0 TWh |
| 16. 🇧🇷 Brazil | 109 gCO2/kWh | 764 TWh |
| 17. 🇦🇹 Austria | 117 gCO2/kWh | 73.2 TWh |
| 18. 🇩🇰 Denmark | 120 gCO2/kWh | 35.6 TWh |
| 19. 🇵🇹 Portugal | 128 gCO2/kWh | 51.1 TWh |
| 20. 🇬🇪 Georgia | 147 gCO2/kWh | 13.5 TWh |
Countries that generated at least 10 TWh in 2025, 82 in this data. Smaller grids are left out so a tiny system does not top every list. Countries with a zero or negative reported intensity are excluded: those are provisional artifacts in Ember's data.
How the Leaders Got Here
2010 to 2025| Year | Ethiopia | Costa Rica | Paraguay | Iceland | Norway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 33 gCO2/kWh | 70 gCO2/kWh | 24 gCO2/kWh | 27 gCO2/kWh | 43 gCO2/kWh |
| 2011 | 30 gCO2/kWh | 84 gCO2/kWh | 24 gCO2/kWh | 27 gCO2/kWh | 38 gCO2/kWh |
| 2012 | 26 gCO2/kWh | 80 gCO2/kWh | 24 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 32 gCO2/kWh |
| 2013 | 25 gCO2/kWh | 103 gCO2/kWh | 24 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 34 gCO2/kWh |
| 2014 | 24 gCO2/kWh | 93 gCO2/kWh | 24 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 34 gCO2/kWh |
| 2015 | 23 gCO2/kWh | 34 gCO2/kWh | 24 gCO2/kWh | 27 gCO2/kWh | 34 gCO2/kWh |
| 2016 | 23 gCO2/kWh | 38 gCO2/kWh | 24 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 33 gCO2/kWh |
| 2017 | 24 gCO2/kWh | 29 gCO2/kWh | 24 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 33 gCO2/kWh |
| 2018 | 24 gCO2/kWh | 35 gCO2/kWh | 24 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 33 gCO2/kWh |
| 2019 | 24 gCO2/kWh | 32 gCO2/kWh | 24 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 33 gCO2/kWh |
| 2020 | 24 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 25 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 30 gCO2/kWh |
| 2021 | 23 gCO2/kWh | 27 gCO2/kWh | 25 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 27 gCO2/kWh |
| 2022 | 23 gCO2/kWh | 25 gCO2/kWh | 25 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 30 gCO2/kWh |
| 2023 | 24 gCO2/kWh | 25 gCO2/kWh | 25 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 30 gCO2/kWh |
| 2024 | 23 gCO2/kWh | 26 gCO2/kWh | 25 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 30 gCO2/kWh |
| 2025 | 23 gCO2/kWh | 25 gCO2/kWh | 25 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh | 28 gCO2/kWh |
Key Facts
- Ethiopia had the lowest carbon intensity of any country generating at least 10 TWh in 2025: 23 gCO2/kWh.
- The world average carbon intensity was 460 gCO2/kWh in 2025, 20 times the cleanest grid.
- The tenth cleanest grid, Tajikistan, emitted 73 gCO2/kWh in 2025.
Questions About This Ranking
What is carbon intensity?
Carbon intensity is the CO2 emitted per kilowatt hour of electricity generated, counting lifecycle emissions from every source. A lower number means cleaner electricity. Figures here are Ember annual statistics for 2025.
Why are some countries missing from the ranking?
Only countries generating at least 10 TWh are ranked, and countries whose reported intensity is zero or negative are excluded because those values are provisional artifacts in Ember's data.
Source: Ember (ember-energy.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data as of 2025. Annual statistics from Ember.
Related
Cite this page
World Power Monitor. (2025). Cleanest Electricity Grids: Lowest Carbon Intensity, 2025. https://worldpowermonitor.com/records/cleanest-grids/
World Power Monitor. Cleanest Electricity Grids: Lowest Carbon Intensity, 2025. Data as of 2025. Data from Ember. https://worldpowermonitor.com/records/cleanest-grids/
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title = {{Cleanest Electricity Grids: Lowest Carbon Intensity, 2025}},
author = {{World Power Monitor}},
year = {2025},
note = {Data as of 2025. Data from Ember.},
url = {https://worldpowermonitor.com/records/cleanest-grids/}
} Permalink: https://worldpowermonitor.com/records/cleanest-grids/
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