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Global ranking · 49 economies · World Bank data

Renewable Energy by Country 2026

Renewable Energy by Country 2026: 49 economies ranked by renewable energy share, with nominal & PPP figures, 10-year trends, regional breakdowns, charts and a downloadable dataset. Iceland leads at 82.4%; Sweden ranks 4th of 49 at 57.9% (2021). Source: World Bank. Free to cite.

By Affärslivet Research · Published 2026-07-01 · Updated 2026-07-08 · Version 1.1 · CC BY 4.0

82.4%Highest (Iceland)World Bank, 2021
4thSweden's rankof 49 economies
57.9%Swedenrenewable energy share, 2021
21.1%European Unionreference
14.8%OECDreference
19.7%Worldreference

Executive summary

This index ranks 49 of the world's largest economies by renewable energy share, using World Bank Open Data for cross-country comparability, and goes beyond a single snapshot: it shows the nominal figure, a ten-year history, a regional breakdown and the biggest movers. Iceland leads at 82.4% (2021); Saudi Arabia is lowest among those ranked at 0.1%. Sweden ranks 4th of 49 at 57.9% (2021). As reference points, the EU stands at 21.1%, the OECD at 14.8% and the world at 19.7%. Every figure carries its World Bank series and reference year, and the complete dataset is free to download as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

Key findings

0182.4%of 49 economies

Iceland tops the ranking

Iceland has the highest renewable energy share among the 49 economies in this index at 82.4% (2021).

Source: World Bank Open Data · 2021 · confidence: High

024th57.9%

Where Sweden ranks

Sweden ranks 4th of 49 at 57.9% (2021), above the OECD reference of 14.8%.

Source: World Bank Open Data · 2021 · confidence: High

035 economiesIceland, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden, Finland

Top five

The five highest by renewable energy share are Iceland (82.4%), Nigeria (80.3%), Norway (61.4%), Sweden (57.9%), Finland (50.2%).

Source: World Bank Open Data · 2021 · confidence: High

Data vintage — July 2026

Figures reflect the most recent year available in the World Bank Open Data API for each economy (shown next to every value). This index of renewable energy share by country regenerates automatically as new data is published.

Overview

The share of energy that comes from renewable sources is a core gauge of the energy transition. This index ranks countries by renewables as a share of total final energy consumption (World Bank, compiled from IEA data).

The leaders are often not who people expect: countries rich in hydropower or traditional biomass can post very high shares, so the ranking mixes advanced hydro/nuclear economies with developing economies reliant on biomass.

What drives the ranking

Renewable share is driven by natural endowment (hydro, wind, solar, geothermal potential), policy (subsidies, carbon pricing, grid investment) and the pace of electrification. Wealthy countries are scaling wind and solar fastest.

The measure counts all renewable energy including traditional biomass, which is why some lower-income economies rank surprisingly high — a caveat when reading the table.

By region

Median renewable energy share by world region among the ranked economies. Regional medians reveal patterns the country ranking alone can hide.

RegionEconomiesMedianHighestLowest
Europe2317.6%82.4%3.5%
Asia-Pacific1217.1%34.9%1.1%
Americas723.8%46.5%9.2%
Middle East & Africa76.2%80.3%0.1%

Biggest movers

The largest changes in renewable energy share over the available window — where the action has been.

CountryChangeΔPeriod
Finland42.4% → 50.2%+7.8%2016–2021
Indonesia27.8% → 20.2%-7.6%2016–2021
Denmark32.0% → 39.5%+7.5%2016–2021
Sweden50.9% → 57.9%+7.0%2016–2021
Netherlands5.6% → 12.2%+6.6%2016–2021
Greece16.4% → 21.5%+5.1%2016–2021
United Kingdom7.7% → 12.2%+4.5%2016–2021
Ireland8.6% → 12.7%+4.1%2016–2021

Full ranking — 49 economies

Complete ranking by renewable energy share, most recent World Bank data, with world region. Region aggregates (EU, OECD, World) appear in the At-a-glance box as reference points.

#CountryRenewable Energy ShareRegionYear
1Iceland82.4%Europe2021
2Nigeria80.3%Middle East & Africa2021
3Norway61.4%Europe2021
4Sweden57.9%Europe2021
5Finland50.2%Europe2021
6Brazil46.5%Americas2021
7Denmark39.5%Europe2021
8Austria36.0%Europe2021
9India34.9%Asia-Pacific2021
10Portugal32.3%Europe2021
11Colombia29.7%Americas2021
12New Zealand28.9%Asia-Pacific2021
13Philippines28.0%Asia-Pacific2021
14Switzerland27.7%Europe2021
15Chile24.2%Americas2021
16Viet Nam24.2%Asia-Pacific2021
17Canada23.8%Americas2021
18Romania23.6%Europe2021
19Greece21.5%Europe2021
20Indonesia20.2%Asia-Pacific2021
21Spain19.0%Europe2021
22Thailand19.0%Asia-Pacific2021
23Germany17.6%Europe2021
24Italy17.5%Europe2021
25Czechia17.2%Europe2021
26France16.2%Europe2021
27Hungary15.3%Europe2021
28China15.2%Asia-Pacific2021
29Poland15.2%Europe2021
30Mexico13.0%Americas2021
31Ireland12.7%Europe2021
32Australia12.3%Asia-Pacific2021
33United Kingdom12.2%Europe2021
34Netherlands12.2%Europe2021
35Turkiye12.0%Middle East & Africa2021
36Belgium11.7%Europe2021
37United States10.9%Americas2021
38South Africa9.7%Middle East & Africa2021
39Argentina9.2%Americas2021
40Ukraine8.9%Europe2021
41Japan8.8%Asia-Pacific2021
42Malaysia7.5%Asia-Pacific2021
43Israel6.2%Middle East & Africa2021
44Egypt6.1%Middle East & Africa2021
45South Korea3.6%Asia-Pacific2021
46Russia3.5%Europe2021
47Singapore1.1%Asia-Pacific2021
48United Arab Emirates1.0%Middle East & Africa2021
49Saudi Arabia0.1%Middle East & Africa2021

Scoreboard (machine-readable data)

Every headline indicator with its value, period, source and confidence. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.

↓ CSV · ↓ JSON

IndicatorValuePeriodSourceConf.
Iceland82.4 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Nigeria80.3 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Norway61.4 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Sweden57.9 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Finland50.2 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Brazil46.5 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Denmark39.5 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Austria36 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
India34.9 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Portugal32.3 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Colombia29.7 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
New Zealand28.9 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Philippines28 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Switzerland27.7 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Chile24.2 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Viet Nam24.2 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Canada23.8 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Romania23.6 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Greece21.5 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Indonesia20.2 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Spain19 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Thailand19 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Germany17.6 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Italy17.5 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Czechia17.2 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
France16.2 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Hungary15.3 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
China15.2 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Poland15.2 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Mexico13 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Ireland12.7 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Australia12.3 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
United Kingdom12.2 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Netherlands12.2 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Turkiye12 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Belgium11.7 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
United States10.9 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
South Africa9.7 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Argentina9.2 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Ukraine8.9 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Japan8.8 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Malaysia7.5 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Israel6.2 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Egypt6.1 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
South Korea3.6 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Russia3.5 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Singapore1.1 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
United Arab Emirates1 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Saudi Arabia0.1 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh

Methodology & verification

Economies are ranked by renewable energy share using the World Bank Open Data API, which harmonises national statistics for cross-country comparison. Each value is the most recent year available for that economy, shown alongside the figure; the trend table uses each economy's reported history. Economies with no reported value are omitted rather than estimated. Region aggregates (EU, euro area, OECD, World) are reference points, not ranked. The metric includes traditional biomass (e.g. wood for heating/cooking), so a high share does not always mean a modern, low-carbon energy system. Confidence: High (official multilateral source).

Data dictionary

FieldTypeDescription
metricstringWorld Bank indicator code : country ISO3
labelstringCountry name
valuenumberrenewable energy share value
unitstring%
periodstringReference year
geographystringCountry
source_urlstringWorld Bank indicator page

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the highest renewable energy share?

Iceland, at 82.4% (2021). Source: World Bank Open Data.

Where does Sweden rank by renewable energy share?

Sweden ranks 4th of 49 at 57.9% (2021). Source: World Bank.

What are the top five by renewable energy share?

Iceland (82.4%), Nigeria (80.3%), Norway (61.4%), Sweden (57.9%), Finland (50.2%). Source: World Bank.

How is renewable energy share defined?

Renewable energy (% of final energy), as reported by the World Bank. See the methodology and glossary for details.

How many economies are ranked?

49 of the world's largest economies, plus the EU, OECD and World aggregates as reference points.

What is the caveat with this metric?

The metric includes traditional biomass (e.g. wood for heating/cooking), so a high share does not always mean a modern, low-carbon energy system.

Where does the data come from?

The World Bank Open Data API, which harmonises national statistics for cross-country comparison. Every figure shows its reference year and links to its World Bank indicator page.

How current is it, and how often does it update?

Each figure is the latest year the World Bank reports for that economy. The index regenerates automatically as new data is released.

Can I download this ranking?

Yes — the full ranking is available as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence, free to reuse with attribution to Affärslivet.

Glossary

Renewable Energy Share
Renewable energy (% of final energy) — as reported by the World Bank. ↗
World Bank Open Data
A free, authoritative database of harmonised economic indicators for every country. ↗
Purchasing-power parity (PPP)
A conversion that equalises the price of a comparable basket of goods across countries, so output and incomes can be compared in real terms rather than at market exchange rates. ↗
Nominal (current US$)
A value converted at prevailing market exchange rates and not adjusted for differences in price levels. ↗
GNI per capita
Gross national income per person — like GDP per capita but including net income earned abroad; useful where cross-border corporate flows are large. ↗
Reference year
The year a figure applies to; it can differ across countries because national statistics are published on different schedules. ↗
Region aggregate
A World Bank grouping (e.g. European Union, OECD, World) whose value is a weighted regional total or average, shown here for reference rather than ranked. ↗

How to cite this report

APA

Affärslivet Research. (2026). Renewable Energy by Country 2026. Affärslivet. Version 1.1. https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/renewable-energy-by-country

MLA

Affärslivet Research. "Renewable Energy by Country 2026." Affärslivet, 2026-07-01, https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/renewable-energy-by-country.

BibTeX

@techreport{affarslivet_renewable_energy_by_country,
  title  = {Renewable Energy by Country 2026},
  author = {{Affärslivet Research}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {Version 1.1},
  url    = {https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/renewable-energy-by-country}
}

Sources