Germany: Renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Germany's renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output) fell 5.01 percentage points on 2020 (from 44.84% to 39.83%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +1.38 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.44 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.94 percentage points in 2019 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.01 percentage points in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is upward, about 2.27 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 92% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 50.1% for 2024. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2019 to 2021 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 3.39%, against 6.11% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2021, Germany had the 73rd highest value of the 204 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Germany in the 2021 ranking

• United Kingdom — 70th of 204: 40.2%
• Papua New Guinea — 71st of 204: 39.96%
• Estonia — 72nd of 204: 39.96%
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 74th of 204: 39.34%
• Bolivia — 75th of 204: 38.24%
• Faroe Islands — 76th of 204: 38.08%

What this measures

Renewable electricity is the share of electricity generated by renewable power plants in total electricity generated by all types of plants.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 32 values

Renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output) in nearby economies

• Andorra — 93.34% (2021)
• Armenia — 30.04% (2021)
• Austria — 79.91% (2021)
• Azerbaijan — 5.8% (2021)
• Belarus — 3.15% (2021)
• Belgium — 23.54% (2021)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 39.34% (2021)
• Bulgaria — 22.19% (2021)
• Croatia — 69.88% (2021)

More environment data for Germany

• Population in largest city — 3.58 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 5.22% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 8.11 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 9.72% (2025)
• Rural population — 14.91 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 17.86% (2025)
• Urban population — 68.58 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 82.14% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 32,653 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Germany's renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output)?

39.83% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 36.36 percentage points from 3.47% in 1990. The highest value was 44.84% in 2020 and the lowest 3.15% in 1991.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), uri: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser, publisher: International Energy Agency (IEA), date accessed: 2025-03-25 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.