Coal share of electricity — all countries

Coal share of electricity — South America

Coal share of electricity in South America in 2021 — 4.7%. Since 2000, the indicator has risen by 1.33 pp.

2021 4.7% +0.04 pp vs 2020
World rank
Period maximum 5.57%2015
Period minimum 2.46%2003

Trend over time

2000–2021 · % of generation

Coal share of electricity — South America, 2000–202123456200020032006200920122015201820212000: 3.37%2001: 2.87%2002: 2.53%2003: 2.46%2004: 2.86%2005: 2.81%2006: 3.11%2007: 3.28%2008: 3.46%2009: 3.37%2010: 3.54%2011: 3.64%2012: 4.24%2013: 5.35%2014: 5.35%2015: 5.57%2016: 5.54%2017: 4.94%2018: 4.82%2019: 4.94%2020: 4.66%2021: 4.7%
Change over the period: +1.33 pp Annual average: 0.06 pp

Comparison, 2021

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: South America

South America 4.7%
World 35.99%
Coal share of electricity — South America, by year South America All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2021 4.7 +0.04 pp
2020 4.66 −0.27 pp
2019 4.94 +0.12 pp
2018 4.82 −0.12 pp
2017 4.94 −0.6 pp
2016 5.54 −0.03 pp
2015 5.57 +0.22 pp
2014 5.35 +0.01 pp
2013 5.35 +1.11 pp
2012 4.24 +0.59 pp
2011 3.64 +0.1 pp
2010 3.54 +0.18 pp
2009 3.37 −0.09 pp
2008 3.46 +0.18 pp
2007 3.28 +0.17 pp
2006 3.11 +0.3 pp
2005 2.81 −0.05 pp
2004 2.86 +0.4 pp
2003 2.46 −0.07 pp
2002 2.53 −0.34 pp
2001 2.87 −0.5 pp
2000 3.37

About the indicator

The share of electricity generated from coal in a country's total generation. Coal remains the largest source of electricity in the world despite plant closures in Europe and North America: growth in Asia outweighs that decline. In emissions per kilowatt-hour coal is about twice as bad as gas, which is why this share does more than anything else to set the carbon intensity of a country's electricity.

Important: Aggregates for groups of countries are weighted by electricity generation in terawatt-hours — the only correct weight for a share of generation. The weight series comes from Ember and starts in 2000, so there are no aggregates for earlier years, even though country data go back to 1960.

Source: World Development Indicators (World Bank), license CC BY 4.0.