Iceland's electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) was 69.9% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 3.4 percentage points from 73.31% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 69.9% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 68.78% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 73.31% | 2015 |
| Highest | 94.81% | 1992 |
| Lowest | 68.78% | 2020 |
| Average since 2016 | 70.37% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 93.22% | 1990 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Iceland's electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) rose 0.51 percentage points on 2024 (from 69.39% to 69.9%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.84 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.36 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.37 percentage points in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.36 percentage points in 2006. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 28% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, Iceland had the 4th highest value of the 39 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Iceland | 69.9% | 2025 |
| World | 15.23% | 2025 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 16.36% | 2025 |
| High income | 12.29% | 2025 |
Closest to Iceland in the 2025 ranking
- Norway — 1st of 39: 89.55%
- Costa Rica — 2nd of 39: 74.35%
- Colombia — 3rd of 39: 72.05%
- Switzerland — 5th of 39: 54.87%
- Canada — 6th of 39: 53.95%
- New Zealand — 7th of 39: 53.6%
What this measures
The share of electricity production from hydroelectric sources of total electricity production. Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Hydropower refers to electricity produced by hydroelectric power plants.
Limitations: IEA occasionally revises its time series to reflect political changes. For example, the IEA has constructed historical energy statistics for countries of the former Soviet Union. In addition, energy statistics for other countries have undergone continuous changes in coverage or methodology in recent years as more detailed energy accounts have become available. Breaks in series are therefore unavoidable.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average using total electricity production as weights.
All 36 values
| Year | Electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 69.9 |
| 2024 | 69.39 |
| 2023 | 70.27 |
| 2022 | 70.55 |
| 2021 | 70.37 |
| 2020 | 68.78 |
| 2019 | 69.07 |
| 2018 | 69.66 |
| 2017 | 73.07 |
| 2016 | 72.61 |
| 2015 |
Electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) in nearby economies
- Albania — 90.5% (2024)
- Andorra — 75.86% (2021)
- Armenia — 21.93% (2024)
- Austria — 50.71% (2025)
- Azerbaijan — 10.59% (2024)
- Belarus — 0.69% (2024)
- Belgium — 1.7% (2025)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 31.99% (2024)
- Bulgaria
More environment data for Iceland
- Rural population — 22,689 (2025)
- Rural population (% of total population) — 5.78% (2025)
- Urban population — 369,715 (2025)
- Urban population (% of total population) — 94.22% (2025)
- Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 54,789 (2024)
- Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 1.01 million (2024)
- Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 1.06 million (2024)
- Rural population growth (annual %) — 0.89% (2025)
- Urban population growth (annual %) — 1.55% (2025)
- Fertilizer consumption (kilograms per hectare of arable land) — 133.69 (2024)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Iceland's electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total)?
- 69.9% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1990?
- It is down 23.31 percentage points from 93.22% in 1990. The highest value was 94.81% in 1992 and the lowest 68.78% in 2020.
- How does Iceland rank?
- 4th highest of 39 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) unusual for Iceland?
- In 2025, Iceland's electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) rose 0.51 percentage points on 2024 (from 69.39% to 69.9%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −0.84 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.36 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EG.ELC.HYRO.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.
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