North Macedonia: Renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, North Macedonia's renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output) rose 1.9 percentage points on 2020 (from 29.07% to 30.97%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +0.68 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 7.08 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 14.89 percentage points in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 13.57 percentage points in 2017. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 12% 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 2021, North Macedonia had the 88th 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 North Macedonia in the 2021 ranking

• Netherlands — 85th of 204: 33.13%
• Gabon — 86th of 204: 32.96%
• Congo, Rep. — 87th of 204: 31.71%
• Armenia — 89th of 204: 30.04%
• China — 90th of 204: 28.43%
• Pakistan — 91st of 204: 28.28%

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 North Macedonia

• Population in largest city — 620,825 (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 54.21% (2025)
• Rural population — 675,721 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 37.11% (2025)
• Urban population — 1.15 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 62.89% (2025)
• Rural population growth (annual %) — -1.07% (2025)
• Urban population growth (annual %) — 0.33% (2025)
• Agricultural land (sq. km) — 12,410 (2024)
• Surface area (sq. km)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

30.97% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 22.44 percentage points from 8.53% in 1990. The highest value was 36.71% in 2016 and the lowest 8.53% in 1990.

How does North Macedonia rank?

88th highest of 204 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output) unusual for North Macedonia?

In 2021, North Macedonia's renewable electricity output (% of total electricity output) rose 1.9 percentage points on 2020 (from 29.07% to 30.97%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was +0.68 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 7.08 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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.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.

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