Highest share of renewable electricity
Share of electricity generated from renewables — solar, wind, hydro, biomass and geothermal. Iceland and Norway run almost entirely on hydro and geothermal.
Headline finding
Iceland leads the world for highest share of renewable electricity at 100% % of generation from renewables.
The full top 25: Highest share of renewable electricity
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 Iceland 100%
- 2 Paraguay 100%
- 3 Albania 100%
- 4 Costa Rica 99%
- 5 Ethiopia 99%
- 6 Nepal 99%
- 7 Norway 98%
- 8 Bhutan 100%
- 9 Brazil 89%
- 10 New Zealand 84%
- 11 Canada 68%
- 12 Colombia 75%
- 13 Venezuela 67%
- 14 Peru 56%
- 15 Sri Lanka 53%
- 16 Sweden 68%
- 17 Austria 78%
- 18 Denmark 82%
- 19 Switzerland 67%
- 20 Portugal 61%
- 21 Georgia 80%
- 22 Chile 49%
- 23 Finland 50%
- 24 Latvia 53%
- 25 Ecuador 79%
What the numbers show
Iceland's lead at the top of this ranking is 0.0% above the second-place country — a margin tight enough that the top spot has changed hands within the last five years and could change again.
The five countries leading the table — Iceland, Paraguay, Albania, Costa Rica, Ethiopia — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with Ecuador anchoring the list at 79%.
Figures are drawn from IRENA Renewable Energy Statistics 2024. We use this source because it produces a single, internally consistent dataset rather than aggregating from national statistics offices, which makes year-on-year comparison reliable. The next update is expected when the source publishes its next annual release — see the methodology section below for which year of data is currently shown.
Methodology and caveats
- What this measures
- % of generation from renewables
- Source
- IRENA Renewable Energy Statistics 2024
- Coverage
- Top 25 countries shown. Full source dataset covers all 195 sovereign states where data is available.
- Refresh cadence
- Updated annually as the source publishes new figures, typically autumn or spring.
- Known caveat
- Country definitions follow the source: where the UN, the World Bank and the CIA Factbook disagree on borders or recognition, we use the figure as published rather than reconciling between bodies. Comparisons across rankings should be made with this in mind.
Frequently asked
Which country tops the ranking for share of renewable electricity?
Iceland leads with 100% % of generation from renewables. Paraguay is second at 100%, with Albania in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the share of renewable electricity ranking?
The figures come from IRENA Renewable Energy Statistics 2024. We use this source because it publishes a complete country-by-country dataset using consistent methodology — the alternative of mixing national statistics offices would compromise comparability. Updated annually with the latest available vintage of the data.
How often are the share of renewable electricity figures updated?
Once a year, in line with the source institution's publishing schedule. Major institutions like the World Bank, IMF and UNESCO publish annual updates in different months — typically autumn or spring — and the figures here reflect the most recently published vintage. The source footer on the ranking table shows which year's data is currently displayed.