Zambia
ZMBZambia's grid has been getting more carbon-heavy, not less.
43 grams of CO2e a kilowatt-hour in 2014, 120 in 2024.
What this grid depends on
Three measures that say more about a country than how much power it makes. Open “what this means” on any of them if the term is new.
Among the cleanest electricity anywhere.
What this means
How much planet-warming gas is released to make one unit of electricity. Two countries can generate exactly the same amount and one of them be ten times dirtier doing it. Lower is better.
Zambia generates a surplus and sells it on.
What this means
The share of what this country generates that is sold abroad rather than used at home. A country can only export if it produces more than it needs, which usually means plentiful hydro, nuclear or wind.
Also true of Zambia
Zambia runs almost entirely on hydro.
86% of its electricity comes from one source.
Zambia’s neighbours
MozambiqueMozambique has about as many people as Saudi Arabia, and 23 times less electricity to share between them.
Democratic Republic of CongoThe Democratic Republic of Congo has about as many people as Japan, and 57 times less electricity to share between them.
AngolaAngola has about as many people as Canada, and 40 times less electricity to share between them.
ZimbabweHydro overtook coal on Zimbabwe's grid in 2017.
TanzaniaTanzania's grid has been getting dirtier, not cleaner.
Figures are for 2024, the most recent year reported for Zambia. Generation shares are a percentage of electricity generated, not of energy used. How this is calculated.