Carbon annual · estimated data
The world's power-sector carbon intensity in 2018
Computed from "Monthly electricity data, Ember" (CC-BY-4.0) · 59 countries · generation-weighted, never averaged
World intensity, 2018
518gCO₂e/kWh
-10 vs 2017
Renewables share
27.5%
25.9% in 2017
Grids under 100g
4
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 2017.
Cleaned up fastest
| Country | gCO₂e/kWh | Δ YoY | Ren % |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Macedonia | 614 | -128 | 38.1 |
| Sri Lanka | 472 | -101 | 44.9 |
| Portugal | 384 | -76 | 49.9 |
| Serbia | 741 | -50 | 31.8 |
| Ireland | 390 | -44 | 32.3 |
| Spain | 285 | -43 | 41 |
| Bulgaria | 499 | -40 | 16.9 |
| Australia | 737 | -39 | 20.1 |
Moved the other way
| Country | gCO₂e/kWh | Δ YoY | Ren % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latvia | 267 | +78 | 48.5 |
| Belgium | 225 | +35 | 18.3 |
| Colombia | 150 | +29 | 83.3 |
| Denmark | 329 | +22 | 63.6 |
| Philippines | 607 | +16 | 24.1 |
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-2018".