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 | 🇭🇺 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 | 🇭🇷 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 | 🇭🇰 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 | 🇭🇳 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.
Environment
Charted: The Safest and Deadliest Energy Sources
What are the safest energy sources? This graphic shows both GHG emissions and accidental deaths caused by different energy sources.

Charted: The Safest and Deadliest Energy Sources
Recent conversations about climate change, emissions, and health have put a spotlight on the world’s energy sources.
As of 2021, nearly 90% of global CO₂ emissions came from fossil fuels. But energy production doesn’t just lead to carbon emissions, it can also cause accidents and air pollution that has a significant toll on human life.
This graphic by Ruben Mathisen uses data from Our World in Data to help visualize exactly how safe or deadly these energy sources are.
Fossil Fuels are the Highest Emitters
All energy sources today produce greenhouse gases either directly or indirectly. However, the top three GHG-emitting energy sources are all fossil fuels.
Energy | GHG Emissions (CO₂e/gigawatt-hour) |
---|---|
Coal | 820 tonnes |
Oil | 720 tonnes |
Natural Gas | 490 tonnes |
Biomass | 78-230 tonnes |
Hydropower | 34 tonnes |
Solar | 5 tonnes |
Wind | 4 tonnes |
Nuclear | 3 tonnes |
Coal produces 820 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) per gigawatt-hour. Not far behind is oil, which produces 720 tonnes CO₂e per gigawatt-hour. Meanwhile, natural gas produces 490 tonnes of CO₂e per gigawatt-hour.
These three sources contribute to over 60% of the world’s energy production.
Deadly Effects
Generating energy at a massive scale can have other side effects, like air pollution or accidents that take human lives.
Energy Sources | Death rate (deaths/terawatt-hour) |
---|---|
Coal | 24.6 |
Oil | 18.4 |
Natural Gas | 2.8 |
Biomass | 4.6 |
Hydropower | 1.3 |
Wind | 0.04 |
Nuclear energy | 0.03 |
Solar | 0.02 |
According to Our World in Data, air pollution and accidents from mining and burning coal fuels account for around 25 deaths per terawatt-hour of electricity—roughly the amount consumed by about 150,000 EU citizens in one year. The same measurement sees oil responsible for 18 annual deaths, and natural gas causing three annual deaths.
Meanwhile, hydropower, which is the most widely used renewable energy source, causes one annual death per 150,000 people. The safest energy sources by far are wind, solar, and nuclear energy at fewer than 0.1 annual deaths per terawatt-hour.
Nuclear energy, because of the sheer volume of electricity generated and low amount of associated deaths, is one of the world’s safest energy sources, despite common perceptions.
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