Countries With the Most Carbon-Intensive Electricity 2025

What this chart shows. The 20 countries whose electricity produced the most carbon dioxide per unit in 2025, in grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour, among the 78 countries in Ember's data that generated at least 10 TWh. Uzbekistan is at the top with 1,000.0 grams, followed by Kazakhstan at 805.3 and South Africa at 699.0. The world average fell from 471.5 grams in 2024 to 458.5 grams.

How the data is collected. Carbon intensity is a country's power-sector CO2 emissions divided by its electricity generation. Ember uses lifecycle emission factors, which include emissions from building and fuelling plants, so even solar, wind and hydro carry a small amount of CO2.

Background. Grids that burn mostly coal, such as South Africa's and India's, rank near the top. India's intensity fell from 706.7 to 670.5 grams and China's, which is not in the top 20, from 556.3 to 526.2. For comparison, the United States was at 384.4 grams.

Limits. Treat Uzbekistan's figure with caution: it implies that its gas plants emitted 1,272 grams per kilowatt-hour, more than twice the world average for gas power of 593 grams. Countries without a 2025 figure, among them Saudi Arabia and Iraq, are not included.