Statistics
Page built 2026-11-05
Data as of 2025
Search
Built 2026-11-05 (5 November 2026)

Spain vs United Kingdom: Electricity Compared

Spain generated 288 TWh of electricity in 2025 and the United Kingdom 294 TWh, according to Ember. Spain's largest source was solar (21.9%); the United Kingdom's was gas (31.3%). Each kWh generated emitted 154 gCO2/kWh in Spain and 218 gCO2/kWh in the United Kingdom. These are Ember annual statistics for 2025, compiled from national sources; they are not real time.

Who is bigger and who is cleaner? Spain and the United Kingdom generated about the same amount of electricity in 2025 (288 TWh and 294 TWh). Spain has the cleaner electricity by carbon intensity, at 154 gCO2/kWh against 218 gCO2/kWh in the United Kingdom in 2025.

Why this comparison: similar electricity demand on the same continent.

Open this comparison in the interactive tool to add more countries or change the metric.

Key Facts

  • Solar supplied 21.9% of Spain's electricity in 2025, against 6.6% in the United Kingdom.
  • Electricity demand rose 5% in Spain between 2020 and 2025, while it fell 4% in the United Kingdom.
  • Low carbon sources supplied 74.6% of Spain's electricity in 2025 and 64.2% of the United Kingdom's.
  • Electricity demand in 2025 was 276 TWh in Spain and 312 TWh in the United Kingdom.

Key Figures, 2025

Ember annual statistics
Measure Spain United Kingdom
Total generation288 TWh294 TWh
Electricity demand276 TWh312 TWh
Demand per person5.75 MWh4.62 MWh
Carbon intensity154 gCO2/kWh218 gCO2/kWh
Power sector emissions44.4 MtCO264.0 MtCO2
Low carbon share74.6%64.2%
Largest sourceSolar 21.9%Gas 31.3%

Generation Mix, 2025

Share of generation
Source Spain United Kingdom
Gas 21.5% 31.3%
Wind 20.4% 29.4%
Solar 21.9% 6.6%
Nuclear 18.8% 12.4%
Bioenergy 2.2% 13.9%
Hydro 11.4% 1.8%
Other fossil 3.5% 4.4%
Coal 0.4% 0.1%

Carbon Intensity, 1985 to 2025

Ember annual statistics
Carbon intensity of electricity in Spain and United Kingdom, 1985 to 2025 Carbon intensity of electricity generated in Spain and the United Kingdom each year from 1985 to 2025, in gCO2/kWh. In 2025 it was 154 gCO2/kWh in Spain and 218 gCO2/kWh in the United Kingdom. 0 200 400 600 800 198519901995200020052010201520202025
Carbon intensity of electricity generated in Spain and the United Kingdom each year from 1985 to 2025, in gCO2/kWh. In 2025 it was 154 gCO2/kWh in Spain and 218 gCO2/kWh in the United Kingdom.
Annual statistics through 2025, gCO2/kWh
Carbon intensity of electricity in Spain and United Kingdom, 1985 to 2025
YearSpainUnited Kingdom
1985n/a694 gCO2/kWh
1986n/a721 gCO2/kWh
1987n/a737 gCO2/kWh
1988n/a710 gCO2/kWh
1989n/a689 gCO2/kWh
1990437 gCO2/kWh705 gCO2/kWh
1991427 gCO2/kWh700 gCO2/kWh
1992473 gCO2/kWh665 gCO2/kWh
1993444 gCO2/kWh608 gCO2/kWh
1994434 gCO2/kWh589 gCO2/kWh
1995466 gCO2/kWh579 gCO2/kWh
1996386 gCO2/kWh557 gCO2/kWh
1997431 gCO2/kWh512 gCO2/kWh
1998424 gCO2/kWh510 gCO2/kWh
1999483 gCO2/kWh492 gCO2/kWh
2000471 gCO2/kWh522 gCO2/kWh
2001422 gCO2/kWh529 gCO2/kWh
2002482 gCO2/kWh521 gCO2/kWh
2003429 gCO2/kWh537 gCO2/kWh
2004449 gCO2/kWh536 gCO2/kWh
2005475 gCO2/kWh535 gCO2/kWh
2006433 gCO2/kWh559 gCO2/kWh
2007439 gCO2/kWh556 gCO2/kWh
2008390 gCO2/kWh554 gCO2/kWh
2009355 gCO2/kWh505 gCO2/kWh
2010288 gCO2/kWh517 gCO2/kWh
2011337 gCO2/kWh500 gCO2/kWh
2012351 gCO2/kWh537 gCO2/kWh
2013287 gCO2/kWh507 gCO2/kWh
2014289 gCO2/kWh463 gCO2/kWh
2015328 gCO2/kWh398 gCO2/kWh
2016283 gCO2/kWh333 gCO2/kWh
2017329 gCO2/kWh302 gCO2/kWh
2018291 gCO2/kWh286 gCO2/kWh
2019247 gCO2/kWh268 gCO2/kWh
2020199 gCO2/kWh243 gCO2/kWh
2021194 gCO2/kWh267 gCO2/kWh
2022217 gCO2/kWh255 gCO2/kWh
2023170 gCO2/kWh236 gCO2/kWh
2024146 gCO2/kWh216 gCO2/kWh
2025154 gCO2/kWh218 gCO2/kWh

Demand per Person, 1985 to 2025

Ember annual statistics
Electricity demand per person in Spain and United Kingdom, 1985 to 2025 Electricity demand per person in Spain and the United Kingdom each year from 1985 to 2025, in MWh. In 2025 it was 5.75 MWh in Spain and 4.62 MWh in the United Kingdom. 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 198519901995200020052010201520202025
Electricity demand per person in Spain and the United Kingdom each year from 1985 to 2025, in MWh. In 2025 it was 5.75 MWh in Spain and 4.62 MWh in the United Kingdom.
Annual statistics through 2025, MWh
Electricity demand per person in Spain and United Kingdom, 1985 to 2025
YearSpainUnited Kingdom
1985n/an/a
1986n/an/a
1987n/an/a
1988n/an/a
1989n/an/a
1990n/an/a
1991n/an/a
1992n/an/a
1993n/an/a
1994n/an/a
1995n/an/a
1996n/an/a
1997n/an/a
1998n/an/a
1999n/an/a
20005.49 MWh6.63 MWh
20015.73 MWh6.67 MWh
20025.87 MWh6.65 MWh
20036.08 MWh6.69 MWh
20046.33 MWh6.67 MWh
20056.55 MWh6.71 MWh
20066.54 MWh6.63 MWh
20076.51 MWh6.53 MWh
20086.46 MWh6.45 MWh
20096.06 MWh6.07 MWh
20106.18 MWh6.11 MWh
20116.07 MWh5.89 MWh
20126.01 MWh5.87 MWh
20135.86 MWh5.79 MWh
20145.80 MWh5.53 MWh
20155.93 MWh5.51 MWh
20165.96 MWh5.42 MWh
20176.01 MWh5.32 MWh
20186.00 MWh5.29 MWh
20195.85 MWh5.19 MWh
20205.51 MWh4.88 MWh
20215.69 MWh4.92 MWh
20225.59 MWh4.70 MWh
20235.53 MWh4.60 MWh
20245.65 MWh4.59 MWh
20255.75 MWh4.62 MWh

Spain history · United Kingdom history

Source: Ember (ember-energy.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data as of 2025.

Cite this page
APA 7

World Power Monitor. (2025). Spain vs United Kingdom: Electricity Compared. https://worldpowermonitor.com/compare/spain-vs-united-kingdom/

Plain text

World Power Monitor. Spain vs United Kingdom: Electricity Compared. Data as of 2025. Data from Ember. https://worldpowermonitor.com/compare/spain-vs-united-kingdom/

BibTeX 
@misc{wpm_compare_spain_vs_united_kingdom_2025,
  title = {{Spain vs United Kingdom: Electricity Compared}},
  author = {{World Power Monitor}},
  year = {2025},
  note = {Data as of 2025. Data from Ember.},
  url = {https://worldpowermonitor.com/compare/spain-vs-united-kingdom/}
}

Permalink: https://worldpowermonitor.com/compare/spain-vs-united-kingdom/

The Copy buttons add today's date as the access date.