Canada energy mix & electricity

Electricity generation in Canada reached 652 TWh in 2025. That is about 2.1% of the world total, similar to South Korea. More than half of it, 52.8%, came from hydropower; natural gas was a distant second with 17.8%.

The renewable share stood at 63.9%, placing Canada 44th of 158 ranked countries. This puts it 30 points above the world average of 33.8%. It is also above the average for North America (28.8%). Because nuclear contributes another 13.1%, the low-carbon share is considerably higher, at 77%. Generating one kWh emits about 191 g CO₂e here (world average: 458 g). The grid is comfortably cleaner than the world average. On carbon intensity, Canada ranks 45th of 158 from the cleanest.

Over the past decade natural gas added more generation than any other source (+47.9 TWh since 2015, plus 7.5 percentage points of share). Coal moved the other way, falling by 38.3 TWh. Overall, the renewable share has barely moved over ten years (a change of under one percentage point).

Coal is in clear retreat: its share fell from 9.8% in 2015 to 4.1% in 2025, after peaking at 19.2% back in 2000. In absolute terms, coal generation peaked in 2000 at 116 TWh and has since fallen 77%.

Wind and solar together provided 9.4% of electricity (solar 1.6%, wind 7.9%), compared with 17.3% worldwide. Per person, that is 253 kWh of solar electricity a year, versus a global average of 338 kWh. Wind adds 1,283 kWh per person, the 14th-highest figure of 156 countries.

Canada generates 16,259 kWh of electricity per resident each year, 4.2 times the global average. Cross-border trade is roughly balanced.