Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Australia

Australia: Share of electricity generation from hydropower was 4.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
4.3%
Change on year
down 6.5%
World rank
121st
of 213 countries
All-time high
11.3%
in 1985
All-time low
4.3%
in 2025
Years of data
41
1985–2025

Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Australia, 1985–2025

02.557.51012.51985200520251985: 11.3 %1986: 10.8 %1987: 10 %1988: 10 %1989: 9.4 %1990: 9.5 %1991: 9.9 %1992: 9.9 %1993: 9.9 %1994: 9.5 %1995: 8.9 %1996: 8.9 %1997: 8.4 %1998: 7.9 %1999: 7.9 %2000: 7.6 %2001: 7.2 %2002: 7.2 %2003: 7.2 %2004: 6.8 %2005: 6.7 %2006: 6.3 %2007: 5.4 %2008: 4.8 %2009: 5.1 %2010: 5.5 %2011: 7.6 %2012: 6.8 %2013: 7.6 %2014: 5.8 %2015: 5.5 %2016: 6.8 %2017: 5.2 %2018: 6.6 %2019: 5.3 %2020: 5.4 %2021: 6 %2022: 6.1 %2023: 5.5 %2024: 4.6 %2025: 4.3 %

Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2025, share of electricity generation from hydropower in Australia stood at 4.3%. That is the lowest value across all 41 years on record.

That represents a change of down 6.5% on the previous year and down 23.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from hydropower in Australia peaked at 11.3% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 2025.

That places Australia 121st out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 10.3% 9.4% 11.3% 5
1990s 9.1% 7.9% 9.9% 10
2000s 6.4% 4.8% 7.6% 10
2010s 6.3% 5.2% 7.6% 10
2020s 5.3% 4.3% 6.1% 6

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 118 Moldova 5.7% compare
  2. 119 United States 5.3% compare
  3. 120 Burkina Faso 5.3% compare
  4. 122 Senegal 4.1% compare
  5. 123 Thailand 4.0% compare
  6. 124 Lithuania 3.9% compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More energy & mining data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of electricity generation from hydropower in Australia?
Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Australia was 4.3% 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 hydropower recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 11.3% in 1985.
What is the lowest share of electricity generation from hydropower recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 2025.
How does Australia rank for share of electricity generation from hydropower?
Australia ranks 121st out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of electricity generation from hydropower rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 Share of electricity generation from hydropower. 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

Indicator
Share of electricity generation from hydropower
Unit
%
Source
Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 6,588 data points, 1920–2025
Last refreshed

Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.