Carbon annual · estimated data
The world's power-sector carbon intensity in 2020
Computed from "Monthly electricity data, Ember" (CC-BY-4.0) · 85 countries · generation-weighted, never averaged
World intensity, 2020
507gCO₂e/kWh
-14 vs 2019
Renewables share
28.2%
26.3% in 2019
Grids under 100g
7
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 2019.
Cleaned up fastest
| Country | gCO₂e/kWh | Δ YoY | Ren % |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Salvador | 153 | -91 | 83.7 |
| Greece | 448 | -86 | 35.9 |
| North Macedonia | 653 | -76 | 29.3 |
| Netherlands | 366 | -69 | 27.5 |
| Bulgaria | 439 | -61 | 15.1 |
| Portugal | 257 | -59 | 59.1 |
| Romania | 301 | -53 | 43.5 |
| Spain | 186 | -51 | 46.8 |
Moved the other way
| Country | gCO₂e/kWh | Δ YoY | Ren % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | 757 | +94 | 29.2 |
| Colombia | 233 | +43 | 73.3 |
| Uruguay | 81 | +36 | 93.2 |
| Iran | 648 | +22 | 6.9 |
| Serbia | 769 | +19 | 29.2 |
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-2020".