Electricity generation in Australia
Australia: Electricity generation was 286.34 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
286.34 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
20th
of 214 countries
All-time high
286.34 terawatt-hours
in 2025
All-time low
123.67 terawatt-hours
in 1985
Years of data
41
1985–2025
Electricity generation in Australia, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
Australia recorded 286.34 terawatt-hours for electricity generation in 2025. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation in Australia peaked at 286.34 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 123.67 terawatt-hours, in 1985.
That places Australia 20th out of 214 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Electricity generation in Australia, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 123.67 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 129.53 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 1987 | 135.81 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 143.37 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 1989 | 151.43 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 1990 | 155.65 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 157.96 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 161.4 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 165.38 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 170.14 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 175.22 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 180.13 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 188.98 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
| 1998 | 199.47 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 1999 | 206.9 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 216.83 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 224.26 terawatt-hours | +3.4% |
| 2002 | 223.49 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 225.95 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 229.23 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 230.74 terawatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 237.99 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 243.19 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 245.38 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 249.9 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 250.97 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 256.28 terawatt-hours | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 250.66 terawatt-hours | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 249.56 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 247.65 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 253.99 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 258.23 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 258.97 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 262.63 terawatt-hours | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 265.9 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 265.15 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 267.45 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 272.92 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 273.11 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 281.64 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 2025 | 286.34 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 286.34 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.95 terawatt-hours, 9.3× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Australia's 286.34 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 13.73 terawatt-hours, 20.9× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 136.76 terawatt-hours | 123.67 terawatt-hours | 151.43 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1990s | 176.12 terawatt-hours | 155.65 terawatt-hours | 206.9 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 232.7 terawatt-hours | 216.83 terawatt-hours | 249.9 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 255.48 terawatt-hours | 247.65 terawatt-hours | 265.9 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 274.44 terawatt-hours | 265.15 terawatt-hours | 286.34 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More energy & mining data for Australia
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.4235 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 11.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation in Australia?
- Electricity generation in Australia was 286.34 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 286.34 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity generation recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 123.67 terawatt-hours in 1985.
- How does Australia rank for electricity generation?
- Australia ranks 20th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total electricity generated in each country or region, measured in terawatt-hours.