Which Countries Get the Most Energy from Renewables?
The world's scientists are quite clear — we need to be getting more of our energy from renewable sources.
According to 2023 data, about one-seventh of the world's energy comes from renewables. That energy includes electricity, as well as transport and heating. If we look just at electricity, almost one-third comes from renewables.
But there are big differences from country to country.
The Energy Institute has collected data on the countries that get the most energy from renewable sources.
At the top of the list is Norway, which got 72% of its energy — and more than 98% of its electricity — from renewable sources in 2023.
Most of that energy comes from hydropower. Hydropower is the most common type of renewable energy around the world, although there have been big increases in wind and solar power over the last 20 years as well.
Sweden comes next on the list, using renewable sources for almost 54% of its energy. Brazil is third at 50%.
Brazil has been getting a lot of its energy from hydropower for a number of years. It was even the Energy Institute's world leader in renewable energy in 1965, when it already got more than one-quarter of its energy renewably.
However, some countries are not counted on the list — including Iceland, where the government says it gets 85% of its energy from renewable sources, particularly geothermal power.
Among richer countries, South Korea is one of the lowest users of renewable energy, with less than 5% of its energy coming from renewables.
In the US, renewables account for just below 12% of energy, with Japan only a little higher.
In fact, according to the Energy Institute's data, Japan has seen almost no increase in the percentage of its energy coming from renewable sources since 1965.
