Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Canada

Canada: Share of electricity generation from hydropower was 52.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
52.8%
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
40th
of 213 countries
All-time high
66.3%
in 1986
All-time low
52.8%
in 2025
Years of data
41
1985–2025

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

02040601985200520251985: 66.2 %1986: 66.3 %1987: 63.7 %1988: 60.8 %1989: 58.3 %1990: 61.5 %1991: 60.6 %1992: 60.8 %1993: 60.8 %1994: 59.3 %1995: 59.9 %1996: 62 %1997: 60.9 %1998: 58.9 %1999: 59.7 %2000: 59.1 %2001: 56.4 %2002: 58.2 %2003: 57.1 %2004: 56.5 %2005: 58.3 %2006: 58 %2007: 58 %2008: 59.4 %2009: 60.1 %2010: 57.9 %2011: 58.9 %2012: 59.7 %2013: 59.8 %2014: 58.6 %2015: 57.8 %2016: 57.8 %2017: 59 %2018: 58.4 %2019: 58.2 %2020: 58.9 %2021: 58.6 %2022: 59.9 %2023: 56.2 %2024: 53.9 %2025: 52.8 %

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

Analysis

Canada recorded 52.8% for share of electricity generation from hydropower in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 41 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 8.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from hydropower in Canada peaked at 66.3% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 52.8%, in 2025.

That places Canada 40th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 63.0% 58.3% 66.3% 5
1990s 60.4% 58.9% 62.0% 10
2000s 58.1% 56.4% 60.1% 10
2010s 58.6% 57.8% 59.8% 10
2020s 56.7% 52.8% 59.9% 6

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 37 New Zealand 54.8% compare
  2. 38 Panama 53.1% compare
  3. 39 French Guiana 53.1% compare
  4. 41 Liberia 52.6% compare
  5. 42 Switzerland 52.3% compare
  6. 43 Fiji 52.2% compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More energy & mining data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of electricity generation from hydropower in Canada?
Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Canada was 52.8% 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 Canada?
The highest recorded value was 66.3% in 1986.
What is the lowest share of electricity generation from hydropower recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 52.8% in 2025.
How does Canada rank for share of electricity generation from hydropower?
Canada ranks 40th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of electricity generation from hydropower rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Canada 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.