Brazil vs United States: Electricity generation from hydropower

Brazil
388.63 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
241.7 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Brazil rank
2nd
United States rank
4th

Electricity generation from hydropower over time

  • Brazil
  • United States
0100200300400196519952025

How they compare

Brazil currently reports 388.63 terawatt-hours against 241.7 terawatt-hours in United States, a difference of 146.93 terawatt-hours.

That makes Brazil's figure about 1.6 times United States's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was United States ahead.

Brazil ranks 2nd and United States ranks 4th of 214 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Brazil averaged higher in 3 and United States in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Brazil United States Difference Ahead
1960s 29.17 terawatt-hours 222.06 terawatt-hours 192.89 terawatt-hours United States
1970s 72.53 terawatt-hours 278.41 terawatt-hours 205.89 terawatt-hours United States
1980s 166.9 terawatt-hours 287.3 terawatt-hours 120.39 terawatt-hours United States
1990s 250.87 terawatt-hours 302.31 terawatt-hours 51.44 terawatt-hours United States
2000s 330.56 terawatt-hours 256.54 terawatt-hours 74.02 terawatt-hours Brazil
2010s 390.98 terawatt-hours 272.42 terawatt-hours 118.56 terawatt-hours Brazil
2020s 402.36 terawatt-hours 248.82 terawatt-hours 153.54 terawatt-hours Brazil

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher electricity generation from hydropower, Brazil or United States?
Brazil, at 388.63 terawatt-hours against 241.7 terawatt-hours in United States as of 2025.
What is the difference in electricity generation from hydropower between Brazil and United States?
146.93 terawatt-hours, with Brazil ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and United States?
61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
How do Brazil and United States rank globally for electricity generation from hydropower?
Brazil ranks 2nd and United States ranks 4th of 214 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Electricity generation from hydropower. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Electricity generation from hydropower
Unit
terawatt-hours
Source
Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
217 places, 7,927 data points, 1920–2025
Last refreshed

Measured in terawatt-hours.