Carbon annual · estimated data
The world's power-sector carbon intensity in 2021
Computed from "Monthly electricity data, Ember" (CC-BY-4.0) · 86 countries · generation-weighted, never averaged
World intensity, 2021
511gCO₂e/kWh
+4 vs 2020
Renewables share
28.1%
28.1% in 2020
Grids under 100g
8
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 2020.
Cleaned up fastest
| Country | gCO₂e/kWh | Δ YoY | Ren % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | 431 | -105 | 51.2 |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | 668 | -89 | 37.8 |
| Colombia | 149 | -84 | 83.4 |
| Serbia | 694 | -76 | 35.9 |
| Belarus | 475 | -73 | 2.3 |
| North Macedonia | 587 | -65 | 31.6 |
| Ukraine | 296 | -52 | 11.8 |
| Vietnam | 477 | -49 | 42.7 |
Moved the other way
| Country | gCO₂e/kWh | Δ YoY | Ren % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 392 | +72 | 34.8 |
| Uruguay | 152 | +71 | 82.5 |
| Denmark | 288 | +53 | 68.6 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 155 | +44 | 86 |
| Bulgaria | 483 | +44 | 17 |
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-2021".
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