Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Ireland
Ireland: Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels was 51.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Ireland, 1990–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Ireland stood at 51.9%. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Ireland peaked at 96.0% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 51.9%, in 2025.
Ireland ranks 129th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 95.1% | — |
| 1991 | 95.0% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 94.7% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 95.2% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 94.4% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 95.8% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 96.0% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 95.9% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 94.3% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 94.8% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 95.0% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 95.8% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 94.4% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 95.4% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 94.4% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 92.6% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 90.8% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 90.0% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 87.8% | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 85.1% | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 86.6% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 79.8% | -7.9% |
| 2012 | 80.4% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 77.7% | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 75.0% | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 71.7% | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 74.9% | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 70.7% | -5.5% |
| 2018 | 66.7% | -5.7% |
| 2019 | 61.3% | -8.1% |
| 2020 | 57.6% | -6.1% |
| 2021 | 62.9% | +9.4% |
| 2022 | 60.8% | -3.4% |
| 2023 | 54.7% | -10.0% |
| 2024 | 53.5% | -2.3% |
| 2025 | 51.9% | -3.0% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 51.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 60.0%, 86% of the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 51.9% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 28.1%, 1.8× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 95.1% | 94.3% | 96.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 92.1% | 85.1% | 95.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.5% | 61.3% | 86.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.9% | 51.9% | 62.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More energy & mining data for Ireland
- Primary energy from fossil nuclear renewables, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fuel imports 5.2% (2025)
- Ores and metals imports 0.9% (2025)
- Fuel exports 0.3% (2025)
- Ores and metals exports 0.6% (2025)
- Gas production 11.53 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 2,195 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 11.53 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Gas production per person 2,195 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Ireland?
- Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in Ireland was 51.9% in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity generation from fossil fuels recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 96.0% in 1996.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from fossil fuels recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.9% in 2025.
- How does Ireland rank for share of electricity generation from fossil fuels?
- Ireland ranks 129th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from fossil fuels rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Electricity generation from coal, oil, and gas, measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.