Renewable Energy Share by Country: 2024 Global Ranking

The Renewable Energy Divide

The global energy transition is not a single story. It is dozens of national stories unfolding at different speeds, shaped by geography, policy, and economic structure. While some countries already source over 60% of their energy from renewables, others remain almost entirely dependent on fossil fuels.

Measuring renewable energy as a share of total primary energy consumption provides the clearest picture of how far each country has actually progressed. Unlike electricity-only metrics, this captures the full energy system including transport, heating, and industrial processes, where fossil fuels remain deeply entrenched.

The latest data for 2024 reveals a global average renewable share of approximately 14.2%, up from 12.8% in 2020. Progress is real, but uneven.

Top 25 Countries by Renewable Energy Share (2024)

| Rank | Country | Renewable Share (%) | Primary Renewable Source | |------|---------|-------------------|------------------------| | 1 | Norway | 66.4 | Hydropower | | 2 | Brazil | 48.7 | Hydropower, bioenergy | | 3 | Sweden | 46.2 | Hydropower, wind, bioenergy | | 4 | Colombia | 32.5 | Hydropower | | 5 | New Zealand | 31.8 | Geothermal, hydropower | | 6 | Denmark | 30.1 | Wind, bioenergy | | 7 | Finland | 28.3 | Bioenergy, hydropower | | 8 | Austria | 27.9 | Hydropower | | 9 | Portugal | 26.4 | Wind, solar, hydropower | | 10 | Chile | 25.1 | Solar, hydropower | | 11 | Canada | 23.6 | Hydropower | | 12 | Spain | 21.8 | Wind, solar | | 13 | Germany | 20.5 | Wind, solar, bioenergy | | 14 | Romania | 19.7 | Hydropower, wind | | 15 | United Kingdom | 18.9 | Wind, bioenergy | | 16 | Italy | 17.4 | Solar, hydropower | | 17 | France | 15.1 | Hydropower, wind | | 18 | Turkey | 14.8 | Hydropower, wind, solar | | 19 | China | 14.2 | Hydropower, wind, solar | | 20 | Argentina | 13.5 | Hydropower, wind | | 21 | India | 12.6 | Solar, wind, bioenergy | | 22 | United States | 11.9 | Wind, solar, hydropower | | 23 | Japan | 11.1 | Solar, hydropower | | 24 | Poland | 10.3 | Wind, bioenergy | | 25 | Czech Republic | 9.8 | Bioenergy, solar |

Data: energtx Research based on IEA, IRENA, and national energy agencies. Explore the full dataset at energtx.com/datasets.

The Leaders: Hydro Nations Dominate

The top of the ranking is overwhelmingly shaped by one resource: hydropower. Countries blessed with mountainous terrain, abundant rainfall, and large river systems built their renewable foundations decades ago.

Norway leads the world at 66.4%, a figure no other major economy comes close to matching. Norwegian hydropower provides virtually all of the country's electricity, and abundant cheap power has enabled electrification of heating and a rapid shift to electric vehicles. Norway's remaining fossil fuel consumption is concentrated in transport and offshore petroleum operations.

Brazil ranks second at 48.7%, driven by massive hydroelectric dams on the Amazon basin and its tributaries, plus significant bioenergy from sugarcane ethanol. Brazil's renewable share has actually declined slightly over the past decade as thermal gas plants were added to offset drought-related hydro shortfalls, a cautionary tale about over-reliance on a single renewable source.

Sweden at 46.2% combines hydropower with one of Europe's most aggressive wind buildouts and extensive use of biomass for district heating. Sweden demonstrates that Nordic conditions are not a barrier to high renewable shares.

The Wind and Solar Pioneers

Below the hydro-dominant nations, a second tier of countries has built renewable shares through deliberate policy-driven deployment of wind and solar.

Denmark at 30.1% is the standout. With minimal hydropower resources, Denmark has achieved its position almost entirely through wind energy, which now supplies over half of its electricity. Denmark's integrated approach, combining onshore wind, offshore wind, bioenergy, and heat pumps, provides a replicable model for countries without hydro endowments.

Portugal has emerged as a southern European leader at 26.4%, leveraging strong solar irradiation and Atlantic wind resources. In 2024, Portugal achieved multiple days of 100% renewable electricity generation.

Spain at 21.8% and Germany at 20.5% represent the largest European economies making substantial progress through wind and solar. Germany's figure is notable given its massive industrial energy demand, though the Energiewende has come at significant cost.

The Fossil Fuel Holdouts

At the bottom of the ranking sit nations where renewables account for less than 3% of total primary energy consumption.

Saudi Arabia stands at just 0.8%, despite some of the world's best solar resources. The kingdom has announced ambitious solar targets under Vision 2030, but actual deployment remains minimal compared to the scale of oil and gas consumption. Similarly, the UAE sits at 1.2%, though the Barakah nuclear plant has begun displacing some gas-fired generation.

Iran at 1.4% and Iraq at 0.5% reflect both resource endowment, when oil and gas are cheap and abundant domestically, there is little economic incentive to invest in alternatives, and the impact of sanctions and political instability on long-term capital investment.

Russia at 3.8% has vast hydropower resources but minimal wind and solar deployment. Its renewable share has barely moved in a decade, reflecting a government strategy oriented around natural gas and nuclear rather than variable renewables.

The Crucial Middle: China, India, and the United States

The trajectory of the global energy transition will be determined not by Norway or Saudi Arabia, but by the three largest energy consumers.

China at 14.2% is adding more renewable capacity than the rest of the world combined. In 2024 alone, China installed over 300 GW of solar and wind capacity. However, because total energy demand is also growing rapidly, the renewable share increases incrementally even as absolute renewable generation surges.

India at 12.6% faces a similar dynamic. Solar capacity has grown tenfold in the past decade, but coal consumption continues to rise to meet growing electricity demand from industrialization and urbanization.

The United States at 11.9% has seen renewables grow primarily through natural gas displacement of coal, plus rapid wind and solar buildouts in the Midwest and Southwest. Policy uncertainty, particularly around tax credits and permitting, remains the key variable for the US trajectory.

What the Data Tells Us

Three conclusions emerge from the 2024 ranking. First, geography matters enormously. Countries with hydropower resources had a multi-decade head start that wind and solar are only now beginning to match. Second, policy drives deployment. Denmark, Portugal, and Germany prove that even without hydro, determined policy can push renewable shares above 20%. Third, the gap between leaders and laggards is widening, not narrowing, raising questions about equity and burden-sharing in global climate commitments.

Track renewable energy data for all 56 countries on energtx.com/datasets, or explore individual country profiles such as Turkey, Germany, and Brazil for detailed historical trends.