Renewable power shares rose in three of five countries from 1990 to 2021

The World Bank indicator compares electricity output from renewable sources with total electricity output. Its 1990 and 2021 observations point in different directions across the five countries shown here. Germany, China and the United States had higher renewable shares at the latest endpoint than at the first. India and Brazil had lower shares. These comparisons describe the composition of electricity output at two points in time; they do not establish what happened in every intervening year or identify the reasons for each change.

The same indicator can show a higher endpoint in one country and a lower endpoint in another without explaining the causes.

Higher and lower endpoints

Germany had the largest increase between the two endpoints among the five countries. China and the United States also ended above their 1990 shares, though their 2021 levels were below Germany’s. India’s latest share was below its first observation. Brazil also ended below its starting share, but its 2021 endpoint was still the highest of the five. The country ranking at either endpoint is distinct from the direction of change: a country can post a decline and still have a higher renewable share than countries whose shares increased.

What the indicator does—and does not—show

Because this measure is a share, it should not be read as the amount of renewable electricity generated. A higher percentage means renewable sources accounted for more of total electricity output at that endpoint; a lower percentage means they accounted for less. The supplied observations do not show generation volumes, capacity, policy effort, electricity demand or emissions, and they do not attribute the endpoint differences to particular technologies or fuels. They also end in 2021, so any post-2021 changes in renewable electricity share are outside this comparison.