Carbon annual · estimated data
The world's power-sector carbon intensity in 2016
Computed from "Monthly electricity data, Ember" (CC-BY-4.0) · 41 countries · generation-weighted, never averaged
World intensity, 2016
536gCO₂e/kWh
-21 vs 2015
Renewables share
24.6%
22.6% in 2015
Grids under 100g
3
countries ≥1 TWh below 100 gCO₂e/kWh
World intensity through the year
The biggest movers
Countries with full-year data and ≥5 TWh of generation, ranked by the change in their power sector's carbon intensity versus 2015.
Cleaned up fastest
| Country | gCO₂e/kWh | Δ YoY | Ren % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | 346 | -84 | 21.7 |
| Austria | 123 | -75 | 83.5 |
| Belgium | 186 | -71 | 13 |
| Portugal | 365 | -69 | 54.9 |
| Greece | 602 | -57 | 28.6 |
| Spain | 274 | -56 | 41.9 |
| New Zealand | 114 | -27 | 85.4 |
| China | 705 | -26 | 23.8 |
Moved the other way
| Country | gCO₂e/kWh | Δ YoY | Ren % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | 557 | +108 | 33 |
| Denmark | 442 | +62 | 45.9 |
| Czechia | 595 | +27 | 11.8 |
| Estonia | 638 | +22 | 10.6 |
| Canada | 183 | +18 | 65.9 |
Watch this decade play out on the globe. The terminal's carbon story animates every month since 2015 across the whole planet — measured European zones and Ember-estimated world, honestly labeled.
▶ Play the carbon storySource: "Monthly electricity data, Ember" (CC-BY-4.0), ingested continuously into the Voltcast production database. Intensities are generation-weighted: Σ emissions ÷ Σ generation across all tracked countries — a country average would flatter small clean grids and hide the giants. Monthly statistical data, labeled estimated wherever it appears in our products. Cite as "Voltcast Research, voltcast.com/research/global-carbon-2016".