Electricity production by source in Australia
Australia: Electricity production by source was 20.9% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Electricity production by source in Australia, 1990–2021
Source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total.
Analysis
Australia recorded 20.9% for electricity production by source in 2021. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
The figure is up 24.0% on the previous year and up 454.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity production by source in Australia peaked at 20.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1990.
Australia ranks 34th of 208 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Electricity production by source in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1991 | 0.3% | +2574.5% |
| 1992 | 0.2% | -49.3% |
| 1993 | 0.2% | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 0.2% | +43.8% |
| 1995 | 0.2% | -3.5% |
| 1996 | 0.4% | +56.9% |
| 1997 | 0.4% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 0.4% | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 0.4% | +11.8% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | +42.9% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | +21.7% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | +23.3% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | +21.0% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | +6.1% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | +86.1% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | +17.1% |
| 2007 | 2.7% | +11.8% |
| 2008 | 3.2% | +17.1% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | -14.7% |
| 2010 | 3.3% | +18.7% |
| 2011 | 3.8% | +16.0% |
| 2012 | 4.9% | +30.3% |
| 2013 | 5.8% | +18.9% |
| 2014 | 7.2% | +22.8% |
| 2015 | 8.0% | +11.2% |
| 2016 | 8.6% | +7.9% |
| 2017 | 9.4% | +8.7% |
| 2018 | 11.0% | +17.0% |
| 2019 | 13.7% | +24.6% |
| 2020 | 16.9% | +23.7% |
| 2021 | 20.9% | +24.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 20.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.8%, 2.1× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- Australia's 20.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.9%, 2.7× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Electricity production by source in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +2574.5% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2005 | +86.1% | 1.1% | 2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 0.6% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.6% | 3.3% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.9% | 16.9% | 20.9% | 2 |
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 production by source in Australia?
- Electricity production by source in Australia was 20.9% in 2021, according to IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity production by source recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 20.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest electricity production by source recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1990.
- How does Australia rank for electricity production by source?
- Australia ranks 34th out of 208 countries with data for 2021.
- Is electricity production by source rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 454.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity production by source. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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