Share of electricity generation from hydropower in India
India: Share of electricity generation from hydropower was 8.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
8.5%
Change on year
up 11.2%
World rank
108th
of 213 countries
All-time high
27.8%
in 1985
All-time low
7.7%
in 2024
Years of data
41
1985–2025
Share of electricity generation from hydropower in India, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
India recorded 8.5% for share of electricity generation from hydropower in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.2% on the previous year and down 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from hydropower in India peaked at 27.8% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 7.7%, in 2024.
India ranks 108th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Share of electricity generation from hydropower in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 27.8% | — |
| 1986 | 25.9% | -6.7% |
| 1987 | 21.9% | -15.6% |
| 1988 | 22.6% | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 23.3% | +2.8% |
| 1990 | 23.1% | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 23.1% | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 20.8% | -9.9% |
| 1993 | 19.5% | -6.0% |
| 1994 | 20.7% | +5.9% |
| 1995 | 17.8% | -14.0% |
| 1996 | 15.6% | -12.3% |
| 1997 | 15.0% | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 16.6% | +10.6% |
| 1999 | 15.0% | -9.3% |
| 2000 | 13.5% | -10.3% |
| 2001 | 12.3% | -8.8% |
| 2002 | 11.2% | -8.5% |
| 2003 | 10.9% | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 14.4% | +32.7% |
| 2005 | 13.8% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 15.1% | +9.4% |
| 2007 | 15.4% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 13.9% | -9.7% |
| 2009 | 12.1% | -12.9% |
| 2010 | 11.6% | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 12.8% | +9.9% |
| 2012 | 10.6% | -16.6% |
| 2013 | 11.6% | +8.7% |
| 2014 | 11.0% | -4.5% |
| 2015 | 10.2% | -7.8% |
| 2016 | 9.2% | -9.5% |
| 2017 | 9.3% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 8.9% | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 10.1% | +13.9% |
| 2020 | 10.5% | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 9.6% | -8.8% |
| 2022 | 9.7% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 7.8% | -19.7% |
| 2024 | 7.7% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 8.5% | +11.2% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 8.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.9%, 41% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 8.5% is below the median for South Asia, which is 23.4%, 37% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 24.3% | 21.9% | 27.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 18.7% | 15.0% | 23.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.3% | 10.9% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.5% | 8.9% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.0% | 7.7% | 10.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
- 105 Philippines 10.3% compare
- 106 Mauritania 10.1% compare
- 107 Ukraine 9.9% compare
- 109 Kazakhstan 8.5% compare
- 110 Mexico 8.1% compare
- 111 Indonesia 7.3% compare
More energy & mining data for India
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 0.7224 % 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 (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 31.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from hydropower in India?
- Share of electricity generation from hydropower in India was 8.5% 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 27.8% in 1985.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from hydropower recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.7% in 2024.
- How does India rank for share of electricity generation from hydropower?
- India ranks 108th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from hydropower rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.