Carbon dioxide emitted per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated — a measure of how clean the grid is (Ember via Our World in Data). Source: Our World in Data — Energy (Ember, Energy Institute). Retrieved 27 Jun 2026.
| Period | Electricity Carbon Intensity |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 699 gCO₂/kWh |
| 2024 | 717 gCO₂/kWh |
| 2023 | 714 gCO₂/kWh |
| 2022 | 729 gCO₂/kWh |
| 2021 | 742 gCO₂/kWh |
| 2020 | 763 gCO₂/kWh |
| 2019 | 764 gCO₂/kWh |
| 2018 | 775 gCO₂/kWh |
| 2017 | 769 gCO₂/kWh |
| 2016 | 779 gCO₂/kWh |
| 2015 | 791 gCO₂/kWh |
| 2014 | 792 gCO₂/kWh |
53 countries carry a recent carbon intensity of electricity figure. Each opens its own page with the history, the source and the API request.
170 of 207 indicators carry a figure for South Africa, grouped by topic.