Continent profile · latest data 2024 · 35 countries

North America energy mix & electricity

In 2024, North America generated 5.53 PWh of electricity, 17% of the global total. Natural gas was the largest source (40.3%), followed by nuclear power (15.9%) and coal (12.7%). Renewables supplied 28.8% versus 33.8% globally, and low-carbon sources including nuclear 44.7%.

Gas 40.3%Nuclear 15.9%Coal 12.7%Hydro 11.5%Wind 9.5%Solar 6.3%Oil 2.2%Bioenergy 1.3%

Renewable electricity

28.8%

+8.7 pp in 10 yrs

Low-carbon incl. nuclear

44.7%

Carbon intensity

369g/kWh

World 458 g

Electricity per person

9,025kWh

World 3,860 kWh

Generation

5.53PWh

+348 TWh vs 2014

Electricity by source in 2024

North America electricity mix 2024

Source	TWh	Share	10-yr Δ pp
Gas	2,231	40.3%	+13.5
Nuclear	880	15.9%	−1.7
Coal	703	12.7%	−20
Hydro	634	11.5%	−2
Wind	524	9.5%	+5.6
Solar	346	6.3%	+5.6
Oil	124	2.2%	−0.6
Bioenergy	69	1.3%	−0.4
Other renewables	22	0.4%	−0.1

North America in context

Since 2014, natural gas has grown the most (+843 TWh), followed by wind power (+321 TWh). Coal declined by 991 TWh over the same period. The renewable share rose by 8.7 percentage points over the decade. Average carbon intensity is 369 g CO₂e/kWh, down 117 g from 2014. Coal’s share peaked at 44.7% in 2000 and stands at 12.7% today.

Across the region, Costa Rica has the highest renewable share (100%) and Trinidad and Tobago the lowest (0.1%). The three largest producers, United States, Canada, and Mexico, account for about 100% of all generation in North America, so their choices largely set the regional trend.

Electricity generation since 2000

Electricity generation by source

Renewables and carbon intensity

Renewable share of electricity (%)

Carbon intensity (g CO₂e/kWh)

Solar and wind share since 2000 (%)

Primary energy consumption

All energy used across transport, heat, industry and power. Fossil fuels supply 79.7% and renewables 13.6% of the total.

Primary energy by source (TWh, substitution method)

Countries in North America ranked by renewable share

Sorted by renewable share of electricity; click any column to re-sort. Small systems below 1 TWh are listed here but left out of the world rankings.

#	Country	Renewable %	Low-carbon %	gCO₂/kWh	kWh / person	Generation TWh
1	Costa Rica	100%	100%	24	2,486	12.8
2	Belize	87.2%	87.2%	170	1,127	0.5
3	El Salvador	86.5%	86.5%	139	1,015	6.5
4	Greenland	83.3%	83.3%	150	10,740	0.6
5	Guatemala	68.3%	68.3%	301	858	15.8
6	Panama	68%	68%	221	2,974	13.4
7	Canada	63.9%	77%	191	16,259	652
8	Nicaragua	62.4%	62.4%	301	654	4.5
9	Honduras	55.4%	55.4%	322	1,153	12.5
10	Guadeloupe	35.3%	35.3%	497	4,435	1.7
11	Martinique	25.8%	25.8%	530	4,364	1.5
12	United States	25.6%	43%	384	13,015	4,520
13	Dominican Republic	23.8%	23.8%	537	1,969	22.7
14	Mexico	23.1%	25.9%	474	2,705	357
15	Haiti	18.6%	18.6%	535	73	0.9
16	Aruba	17%	17%	550	9,253	1
17	Dominica	13.3%	13.3%	600	2,255	0.2
18	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	13.3%	13.3%	600	1,491	0.2
19	Jamaica	12.6%	12.6%	563	1,733	4.9
20	Barbados	9%	9%	595	3,930	1.1
21	Saint Kitts and Nevis	8.7%	8.7%	609	4,908	0.2
22	Antigua and Barbuda	8.1%	8.1%	595	3,945	0.4
23	Puerto Rico	6.4%	6.4%	655	6,265	20.3
24	Cayman Islands	4.2%	4.2%	634	9,533	0.7
25	Cuba	4%	4%	643	1,770	19.4
26	Turks and Caicos Islands	3.7%	3.7%	630	5,799	0.3
27	United States Virgin Islands	2.9%	2.9%	632	7,934	0.7
28	Saint Lucia	2.5%	2.5%	650	2,225	0.4
29	Bermuda	1.6%	1.6%	639	9,434	0.6
30	Bahamas	0.9%	0.9%	653	5,607	2.3
31	Trinidad and Tobago	0.1%	0.1%	682	6,334	9.6
32	British Virgin Islands	0%	0%	647	4,358	0.2
33	Grenada	0%	0%	667	2,048	0.2
34	Montserrat	0%	0%	1,000	2,266	0
35	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	0%	0%	600	8,761	0.1

North America energy: frequently asked questions

What share of electricity in North America is renewable?

28.8% in 2024: hydro 11.5%, wind 9.5%, solar 6.3%, and bioenergy 1.3%.

What is the largest source of electricity in North America?

Natural gas, with 40.3% of generation in 2024.

What is the carbon intensity of electricity in North America?

About 369 g CO₂-equivalent per kWh in 2024.

How much electricity is generated per person in North America?

About 9,025 kWh per person per year (2024).

How much electricity in North America comes from solar and wind?

Solar supplied 6.3% and wind 9.5% in 2024, 15.7% combined, up from 4.5% ten years earlier.

Other regions & groups

World 34%Africa 25%Asia 27%Europe 42%South America 77%Oceania 41%European Union (EU-27) 48%High-income countries 31%Upper-middle-income countries 34%Lower-middle-income countries 26%Low-income countries 64%

Sources & references

Our World in Data: Energy dataset (CC BY 4.0) — compiled from the sources below
Ember: Yearly Electricity Data — generation, shares, carbon intensity
Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy — primary energy, fossil production
U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Data — gap-filling for smaller countries