Energy
Ranked: Countries with the Most Sustainable Energy Policies
Ranked: Countries With Most Sustainable Energy Policies
The sourcing and distribution of energy is one of the most pressing issues of our time.
Just under one billion people still lack basic access to electricity, and many more connect to the grid through improvised wiring or live through frequent blackouts. On the flip side of the socioeconomic spectrum, a growing chorus of voices is pressuring governments and corporations to power the global economy in a more sustainable way.
Today’s visualization – using data from the World Energy Council (WEC) – ranks countries based on their mix of policies for tackling issues like energy security and environmental sustainability.
The Energy Trilemma Index
According to WEC, there are three primary policy areas that form the “trilemma”:
1. Energy Security
A nation’s capacity to meet current and future energy demand reliably, and bounce back swiftly from system shocks with minimal disruption to supply. This dimension covers the effectiveness of management of domestic and external energy sources, as well as the reliability and resilience of energy infrastructure.
2. Energy Equity
A country’s ability to provide universal access to reliable, affordable, and abundant energy for domestic and commercial use. This dimension captures basic access to electricity and clean cooking fuels and technologies, access to prosperity-enabling levels of energy consumption, and affordability of electricity, gas, and fuel.
3. Environmental Sustainability
The transition of a country’s energy system towards mitigating and avoiding environmental harm and climate change impacts. This dimension focuses on productivity and efficiency of generation, transmission and distribution, decarbonization, and air quality.
Using the dimensions above, a score out of 100 is generated. Here’s a complete ranking that shows which countries have the most sustainable energy policies:
Rank | Country | Trilemma Score | Letter Grade* |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 🇨🇠Switzerland | 85.8 | AAA |
2 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 85.2 | AAA |
3 | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 84.7 | AAA |
4 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 81.5 | AAA |
5 | 🇫🇮 Finland | 81.1 | AAA |
6 | 🇫🇷 France | 80.8 | AAA |
7 | 🇦🇹 Austria | 80.7 | AAA |
8 | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 80.4 | BAA |
9 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 79.4 | AAA |
10 | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 79.4 | AAA |
11 | 🇳🇴 Norway | 79.3 | CAA |
12 | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 79.2 | AAA |
13 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 78.0 | AAC |
14 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 77.8 | BAB |
15 | 🇺🇸 United States | 77.5 | AAB |
16 | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 77.4 | AAB |
17 | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 77.2 | ABA |
18 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 77.0 | BAA |
19 | ðŸ‡ðŸ‡º Hungary | 76.8 | AAB |
20 | 🇮🇹 Italy | 76.8 | BAA |
21 | 🇮🇸 Iceland | 76.2 | BAB |
22 | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 76.1 | ABA |
23 | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 75.6 | ABA |
24 | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 75.2 | BAA |
25 | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 75.2 | CAA |
26 | 🇷🇴 Romania | 75.1 | ABA |
27 | ðŸ‡ðŸ‡· Croatia | 74.9 | ABA |
28 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 74.7 | BAB |
29 | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 74.0 | BBB |
30 | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 73.8 | BAB |
31 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 73.8 | CAB |
32 | 🇮🇱 Israel | 73.3 | CAB |
33 | 🇲🇹 Malta | 72.9 | DAA |
34 | ðŸ‡ðŸ‡° Hong Kong (China) | 72.5 | DAB |
35 | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 72.4 | BAB |
36 | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 72.4 | CBA |
37 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 71.7 | BAC |
38 | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 71.6 | CBA |
39 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 71.6 | ABA |
40 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 71.3 | ABB |
41 | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 71.3 | BBB |
42 | 🇷🇺 Russia | 71.2 | AAC |
43 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 71.2 | DAB |
44 | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | 70.3 | ABB |
45 | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 69.6 | ABB |
46 | 🇵🇦 Panama | 69.5 | CBA |
47 | 🇬🇷 Greece | 69.5 | CBA |
48 | 🇨🇱 Chile | 69.4 | BBB |
49 | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 69.3 | BCA |
50 | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 69.0 | CBB |
51 | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 68.5 | BBC |
52 | 🇦🇪 U.A.E. | 68.3 | BAD |
53 | 🇵🇱 Poland | 68.3 | BBB |
54 | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 67.9 | DBB |
55 | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 67.9 | AAD |
56 | 🇧🇳 Brunei | 67.7 | CBC |
57 | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 67.7 | BBB |
58 | 🇵🇪 Peru | 66.8 | ACB |
59 | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 66.6 | BBC |
60 | 🇦🇲 Armenia | 66.3 | CBB |
61 | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 66.0 | ACC |
62 | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | 66.0 | BCA |
63 | 🇴🇲 Oman | 65.5 | BAD |
64 | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 65.4 | CBB |
65 | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | 65.2 | CAD |
66 | 🇹🇷 Turkey | 64.9 | CBC |
67 | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | 64.7 | DBA |
68 | 🇹🇠Thailand | 64.6 | CBC |
69 | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 64.1 | BCC |
70 | 🇷🇸 Serbia | 63.8 | BBC |
71 | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | 63.7 | CBC |
72 | 🇨🇳 China | 63.7 | BBD |
73 | 🇦🇱 Albania | 63.7 | DBA |
74 | 🇮🇷 Iran | 63.6 | ABD |
75 | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 63.6 | BBC |
76 | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | 63.3 | CAD |
77 | 🇬🇪 Georgia | 63.1 | CBC |
78 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 62.8 | CAD |
79 | 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herz. | 62.1 | BBC |
80 | 🇧🇠Bahrain | 62.1 | BAD |
81 | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | 61.6 | DAC |
82 | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 61.3 | CBD |
83 | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 61.1 | CCC |
84 | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 60.4 | BCC |
85 | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 60.1 | BCB |
86 | 🇦🇴 Angola | 60.0 | ADB |
87 | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 59.9 | BBD |
88 | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 59.7 | BCC |
89 | 🇬🇦 Gabon | 59.5 | CBD |
90 | 🇳🇦 Namibia | 59.1 | CDA |
91 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 58.9 | ACD |
92 | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 58.9 | DBD |
93 | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 58.9 | BBD |
94 | 🇵🇠Philippines | 58.6 | BCC |
95 | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 58.5 | DBC |
96 | 🇧🇼 Botswana | 57.7 | DCC |
97 | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 57.6 | DBB |
98 | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 56.9 | DBC |
99 | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | 55.7 | DCC |
100 | ðŸ‡ðŸ‡³ Honduras | 55.3 | DCC |
101 | 🇸🇿 Eswatini | 55.1 | DCC |
102 | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | 54.5 | DCC |
103 | 🇬🇠Ghana | 52.9 | CDC |
104 | 🇲🇲 Myanmar | 51.9 | BDB |
105 | 🇰🇠Cambodia | 51.6 | CDC |
106 | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 51.3 | BDB |
107 | 🇲🇩 Moldova | 51.2 | DCD |
108 | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | 51.1 | DCD |
109 | 🇮🇳 India | 50.3 | BDD |
110 | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 49.6 | CDD |
111 | 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire | 49.3 | BDC |
112 | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 47.8 | CDB |
113 | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 47.4 | BDD |
114 | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 47.1 | DDC |
115 | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 46.0 | CDC |
116 | 🇲🇷 Mauritania | 45.6 | BDD |
117 | 🇳🇵 Nepal | 44.3 | DDC |
118 | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 43.4 | DDD |
119 | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | 42.5 | DDC |
120 | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 42.3 | DDC |
121 | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | 42.2 | CDC |
122 | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | 41.4 | DDC |
123 | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 40.7 | BDD |
124 | 🇲🇼 Malawi | 39.1 | DDB |
125 | 🇧🇯 Benin | 36.3 | DDD |
126 | 🇹🇩 Chad | 33.8 | DDD |
127 | 🇨🇩 D.R.C. | 33.8 | DDC |
128 | 🇳🇪 Niger | 30.0 | DDD |
*The letter grade represents national performance in three dimensions. The first letter represents Security, the second letter represents Equity, the third letter represents the Environmental Sustainability. The top grade is AAA, the lowest is DDD.
Highs, Lows, and Outliers
Every country has unique circumstances — from strategic energy reserves to green energy ambitions — that shape their domestic energy policies. Let’s take a closer look at some of the more interesting situations around the world.
Sweden
Qatar
Singapore
Dominican Republic
Niger
Global Energy Outlook
Achieving the balance of prosperity and sustainability is a goal of nearly every country, but it takes stability and the right mix of policies to get the job done.
The fact that many trilemma scores are improving is an indicator that the world’s patchwork of energy policies are slowly moving in the right direction.
Energy
How Much Does the U.S. Depend on Russian Uranium?
Currently, Russia is the largest foreign supplier of nuclear power fuel to the U.S.
How Much Does the U.S. Depend on Russian Uranium?
This was originally posted on Elements. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful visualizations on natural resource megatrends in your email.
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a ban on imports of Russian uranium. The bill must pass the Senate before becoming law.
In this graphic, we visualize how much the U.S. relies on Russian uranium, based on data from the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA).
U.S. Suppliers of Enriched Uranium
After Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russian-produced oil and gas—yet Russian-enriched uranium is still being imported.
Currently, Russia is the largest foreign supplier of nuclear power fuel to the United States. In 2022, Russia supplied almost a quarter of the enriched uranium used to fuel America’s fleet of more than 90 commercial reactors.
Country of enrichment service | SWU | % |
---|---|---|
🇺🇸 United States | 3,876 | 27.34% |
🇷🇺 Russia | 3,409 | 24.04% |
🇩🇪 Germany | 1,763 | 12.40% |
🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1,593 | 11.23% |
🇳🇱 Netherlands | 1,303 | 9.20% |
Other | 2,232 | 15.79% |
Total | 14,176 | 100% |
SWU stands for “Separative Work Unit” in the uranium industry. It is a measure of the amount of work required to separate isotopes of uranium during the enrichment process. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Most of the remaining uranium is imported from European countries, while another portion is produced by a British-Dutch-German consortium operating in the United States called Urenco.
Similarly, nearly a dozen countries around the world depend on Russia for more than half of their enriched uranium—and many of them are NATO-allied members and allies of Ukraine.
In 2023 alone, the U.S. nuclear industry paid over $800 million to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom, and its fuel subsidiaries.
It is important to note that 19% of electricity in the U.S. is powered by nuclear plants.
The dependency on Russian fuels dates back to the 1990s when the United States turned away from its own enrichment capabilities in favor of using down-blended stocks of Soviet-era weapons-grade uranium.
As part of the new uranium-ban bill, the Biden administration plans to allocate $2.2 billion for the expansion of uranium enrichment facilities in the United States.
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