The Most Common Sources of Electricity per Country

This map reflects the statistics from Our World In Data. It reveals the two most common sources of electricity in each country. The three most common sources across the world are coal, natural gas, and hydropower. Many countries rely on oil and nuclear power as well. Some other major sources of electricity include renewable sources like wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass. Country by country table of sources.

Coal

Coal power is being phased out by many countries since it is so polluting. Most of the countries that still rely on it are developing nations in South and East Asia. Chile is the only country in the Western Hemisphere that creates most of electricity from coal.

Gas

Natural gas is another common source of electricity across the world. It is less polluting than coal, but still contributes to a large amount of carbon emissions. Natural gas is especially common throughout the Middle East, since the region produces a lot of it.

Hydro

Hydropower is often used in the most mountainous countries, since they can create dams that produce electricity. However, it is not completely necessary to have mountainous terrain. A high percentage of the electricity created in Sub-Saharan Africa and South America is from hydropower.

Nuclear

Nuclear power generation is concentrated in Europe. France, Ukraine, and Slovakia are especially reliant on it. They tend to be countries without a huge amount of natural resources, but still require a large amount of electricity per capita.

Oil

The use of oil to create electricity is more expensive than coal or natural gas. It is often used in isolated communities that are not connected to a power grid. As a result, island nations, especially in the Caribbean and the South Pacific, use it widely. Another area where oil is commonly used is the Sahel region of Africa.

Wind

Wind power is not widely used throughout the world. Its generation is mostly concentrated in Europe. It is the primary source of electricity for only two countries: Denmark and Uruguay.

Solar

No countries primarily rely on solar power for their electricity. Jordan, Cyprus, and Eritrea are the only three nations where it is the second most used source of electricity. They all have a lot of sunny weather.

Geothermal

Geothermal is another renewable source of energy that is not commonly used. Only in Kenya, El Salvador, Iceland, and New Zealand does it represent a significant portion of their respective country’s electricity supply.

Biomass

Eswatini is the only country where biomass is the most common source of electricity. There are few other countries where it is common. Denmark, Estonia, and Nicaragua are three other countries where it supplies a significant percentage of the electricity.

Leave a Reply