The best countries for clean energy production

The United Nation’s Paris Agreement plan was to try and limit global warming to under 1.5°C by 2030, but the latest data has experts worried that ship has sailed, and average global temperatures will increase by more than 1.5°C in the next few years.¹World on course to breach 1.5°C before 2030, and other climate and nature news. World Economic Forum. 2026.

Some countries have done a lot over the years to increase the share of renewables in their energy mix, moving toward cleaner, environmentally friendly and sustainable sources of power. Other countries have lagged behind, barely moving the needle as they rely heavily on fossil fuels to meet their energy demands. Energy comparison experts at iSelect have looked at 50 countries across the world, indexing them by the proportion of their energy generation that comes from clean energy sources compared to fossil fuels.

Countries with the best share of energy production from clean energy 

1. Denmark

Denmark has the best share of clean energy production, topping our index with a score of 6.23 out of 10. Denmark generates 58.7% of its energy needs from wind power and 22.1% from bioenergy, the highest amounts of wind and bioenergy from any of the 50 countries on the list. Denmark also barely uses any gas or coal, with both making up less than one per cent of the country’s energy mix. When adding the percentages of all clean energy and adding all fossil fuels, and comparing them together, Denmark has a difference of 88.40% in favour of fossil fuels.

2. Finland

Finland was the second-best nation in the clean energy countries index, scoring 5.68 out of 10. Like Denmark, Finland had very low amounts of fossil fuels in its energy production mix, with 1.2% coming from gas and 0.2% from coal. Finland’s biggest source of energy is nuclear power, making up 39.9% of all energy generated in the Arctic country, with wind power making up 27.4%. Hydroelectricity made up 15.1%, while bioenergy accounted for 12.6%. Denmark’s clean energy balance difference is actually higher than Denmark’s at 92.70%.

3. New Zealand

The third highest-ranking country for clean energy was New Zealand, which finished close on Finland’s heels with a score of 5.67 out of 10. New Zealand’s biggest source of power is hydroelectricity, accounting for more than half of the country’s energy production at 54.8%. The next biggest category was ‘other renewables’ at 21.8%, while wind power sat under 10% at 9.74%. Like the other nations at the top of the index, New Zealand uses very little coal, gas or other fossil fuels. When all sources of clean energy are combined and compared to all sources of fossil fuels, New Zealand has an overall positive balance of 72.24% in clean energy.

Clean energy countries index 2026

How does Australia compare when it comes to the nation’s energy mix?

In the overall index, Australia ranks 27^th overall, as the country currently generates most of its power from coal, which makes up almost half of all energy production at 42.7%. The next biggest source of energy is solar power at 19.7%, with gas following closely behind at 16.4%. Wind currently sits at 13.7%, while hydro is less than five per cent and bioenergy barely makes over one per cent. Adding the share of all clean energy and comparing that to all fossil fuels, Australia has a difference of 22.6% in favour of fossil fuels.

While Australia continues to generate most of its power from fossil fuels, the country is moving toward a greater share of renewable energy, with a plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.²Powering Australia. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. 2025.

From 2020 to 2025, Australia’s renewable energy generation grew from 22.6% to 39.5% of all electricity generation.³Australian electricity generation – fuel mix. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. 2026. However, the Australian Government’s plans to pursue renewable energy to reduce emissions are hitting a snag. New renewable energy projects, especially wind, are failing to get off the ground, leading the Government to extend the life of coal-fired power plants beyond their originally planned closure dates to meet growing energy demand.⁴Wind project ‘drought’ puts Australia’s green energy targets in doubt. Daniel Mercer, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2026.

The lowest three countries for clean energy production 

1. Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia was the lowest ranked country for clean energy production, with a score of 1.53 out of 10. The vast majority of Saudi Arabia’s power comes from gas, which accounted for almost two thirds of all power generation, with other fossil fuels making up 34.5%. Less than 2% came from solar power. No other renewable power was used to generate energy in the country. The difference in clean energy vs fossil fuels was 95.64%.

2. Iran

The second-lowest country for clean energy production was Iran, which scored 2.15 out of 10 in the index, thanks to a small amount of solar (0.23%) and hydroelectricity (3.50%). However, the vast majority comes from gas (88.30%), followed by 5.70% from other fossil fuel sources. Comparing the difference between all fossil fuels and all clean energy sources was 88.11%

3. Hong Kong

Hong Kong was ranked the third-lowest for clean energy production. Like Saudi Arabia and Iran, Hong Kong had almost no renewable energy, but it gets most of its power from gas (64.1%), followed by coal (33.6%). This gives Hong Kong an index score of 2.07 out of 10. Totalling up all sources of fossil fuel in Hong Kong’s energy mix, and comparing that to the total of all clean energy sources had a clean energy difference of 98.29% in favour of fossil fuels.