Share of electricity generation from hydropower in United States
United States: Share of electricity generation from hydropower was 5.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of electricity generation from hydropower in United States, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States recorded 5.3% for share of electricity generation from hydropower in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 41 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from hydropower in United States peaked at 11.1% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 2025.
That places United States 119th 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.
Share of electricity generation from hydropower in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 10.8% | — |
| 1986 | 11.1% | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 9.2% | -17.0% |
| 1988 | 7.8% | -14.9% |
| 1989 | 8.7% | +11.1% |
| 1990 | 9.0% | +3.8% |
| 1991 | 8.8% | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 7.7% | -12.9% |
| 1993 | 8.2% | +7.1% |
| 1994 | 7.5% | -8.6% |
| 1995 | 8.7% | +16.3% |
| 1996 | 9.5% | +8.7% |
| 1997 | 9.6% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 8.4% | -12.8% |
| 1999 | 8.0% | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 7.1% | -11.7% |
| 2001 | 5.6% | -21.4% |
| 2002 | 6.6% | +19.1% |
| 2003 | 6.9% | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 6.6% | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 6.5% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 7.0% | +6.9% |
| 2007 | 5.8% | -16.9% |
| 2008 | 6.1% | +4.2% |
| 2009 | 6.8% | +12.8% |
| 2010 | 6.2% | -9.3% |
| 2011 | 7.7% | +23.6% |
| 2012 | 6.7% | -12.3% |
| 2013 | 6.5% | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 6.2% | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 6.0% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 6.4% | +6.9% |
| 2017 | 7.3% | +13.5% |
| 2018 | 6.8% | -5.9% |
| 2019 | 6.8% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 6.9% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 5.9% | -14.3% |
| 2022 | 5.8% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 5.6% | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 5.4% | -3.9% |
| 2025 | 5.3% | -0.9% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 5.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.0%, 5.5× the median. (75 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.5% | 7.8% | 11.1% | 5 |
| 1990s | 8.5% | 7.5% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.5% | 5.6% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.6% | 6.0% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.8% | 5.3% | 6.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
More energy & mining data for United States
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 1.94 % 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 0.0001 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 7.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from hydropower in United States?
- Share of electricity generation from hydropower in United States was 5.3% 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 11.1% in 1986.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from hydropower recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.3% in 2025.
- How does United States rank for share of electricity generation from hydropower?
- United States ranks 119th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from hydropower rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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.
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About this data
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.