Electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Electricity generation from hydropower was 6.59 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
6.59 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 6.0%
World rank
62nd
of 215 countries
All-time high
7.23 terawatt-hours
in 2021
All-time low
0.365 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka, 1965–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka stood at 6.59 terawatt-hours.
That represents a change of down 6.0% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka peaked at 7.23 terawatt-hours in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.365 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
That places Sri Lanka 62nd out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0.365 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 0.399 terawatt-hours | +9.3% |
| 1967 | 0.41 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1968 | 0.474 terawatt-hours | +15.6% |
| 1969 | 0.549 terawatt-hours | +15.8% |
| 1970 | 0.7403 terawatt-hours | +34.8% |
| 1971 | 0.8255 terawatt-hours | +11.5% |
| 1972 | 0.8471 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 0.6957 terawatt-hours | -17.9% |
| 1974 | 0.9976 terawatt-hours | +43.4% |
| 1975 | 1.08 terawatt-hours | +7.9% |
| 1976 | 1.11 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 1977 | 1.21 terawatt-hours | +9.4% |
| 1978 | 1.37 terawatt-hours | +12.6% |
| 1979 | 1.46 terawatt-hours | +7.0% |
| 1980 | 1.48 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 1.57 terawatt-hours | +6.2% |
| 1982 | 1.61 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 1.22 terawatt-hours | -24.3% |
| 1984 | 2.09 terawatt-hours | +71.9% |
| 1985 | 2.4 terawatt-hours | +14.5% |
| 1986 | 2.65 terawatt-hours | +10.4% |
| 1987 | 2.18 terawatt-hours | -17.7% |
| 1988 | 2.6 terawatt-hours | +19.3% |
| 1989 | 2.8 terawatt-hours | +7.9% |
| 1990 | 3.14 terawatt-hours | +12.3% |
| 1991 | 3.12 terawatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 2.9 terawatt-hours | -7.0% |
| 1993 | 3.8 terawatt-hours | +30.9% |
| 1994 | 4.09 terawatt-hours | +7.7% |
| 1995 | 4.51 terawatt-hours | +10.4% |
| 1996 | 3.25 terawatt-hours | -28.0% |
| 1997 | 3.45 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 1998 | 3.91 terawatt-hours | +13.6% |
| 1999 | 4.18 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 2000 | 3.21 terawatt-hours | -23.2% |
| 2001 | 3.12 terawatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 2.7 terawatt-hours | -13.5% |
| 2003 | 3.32 terawatt-hours | +23.0% |
| 2004 | 2.97 terawatt-hours | -10.5% |
| 2005 | 3.46 terawatt-hours | +16.5% |
| 2006 | 4.64 terawatt-hours | +34.1% |
| 2007 | 3.96 terawatt-hours | -14.7% |
| 2008 | 4.14 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 3.89 terawatt-hours | -6.0% |
| 2010 | 5.64 terawatt-hours | +45.0% |
| 2011 | 4.63 terawatt-hours | -17.9% |
| 2012 | 3.3 terawatt-hours | -28.7% |
| 2013 | 6.93 terawatt-hours | +110.0% |
| 2014 | 4.56 terawatt-hours | -34.2% |
| 2015 | 6 terawatt-hours | +31.6% |
| 2016 | 4.25 terawatt-hours | -29.2% |
| 2017 | 4.03 terawatt-hours | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 6.41 terawatt-hours | +59.1% |
| 2019 | 4.82 terawatt-hours | -24.8% |
| 2020 | 4.98 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 7.23 terawatt-hours | +45.2% |
| 2022 | 6.77 terawatt-hours | -6.4% |
| 2023 | 5.98 terawatt-hours | -11.7% |
| 2024 | 7.01 terawatt-hours | +17.2% |
| 2025 | 6.59 terawatt-hours | -6.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 6.59 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.83 terawatt-hours, 3.6× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 6.59 terawatt-hours is below the median for South Asia, which is 8.79 terawatt-hours, 75% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.4394 terawatt-hours | 0.365 terawatt-hours | 0.549 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 1.03 terawatt-hours | 0.6957 terawatt-hours | 1.46 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.06 terawatt-hours | 1.22 terawatt-hours | 2.8 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.64 terawatt-hours | 2.9 terawatt-hours | 4.51 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.54 terawatt-hours | 2.7 terawatt-hours | 4.64 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.06 terawatt-hours | 3.3 terawatt-hours | 6.93 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.43 terawatt-hours | 4.98 terawatt-hours | 7.23 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More energy & mining data for Sri Lanka
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 4.83 % 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 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 21.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka?
- Electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka was 6.59 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 from hydropower recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 7.23 terawatt-hours in 2021.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from hydropower recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.365 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for electricity generation from hydropower?
- Sri Lanka ranks 62nd out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from hydropower rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 from hydropower. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.