Europe · DEU
Germany Environmental Profile
Germany shows the clearest long-run decarbonization of these profiles. Territorial fossil and industrial CO₂ fell from 1.05 billion tonnes in 1990 to 572.3 million tonnes in 2024—a 45.7% decline—while per-capita emissions dropped to 6.77 tonnes. Renewables supplied 59.1% of electricity in 2025, led by wind and solar; coal still supplied 20.6% and gas 16.5%, while nuclear generation was zero. The electricity transition is therefore advanced but incomplete, and total primary energy use per person remains almost three times Indonesia's. Land indicators look comparatively stable: FAO reports a small net forest-area gain, and protected coverage of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas is high. Yet Germany's Red List Index is below 1 and has edged down, reminding us that protected designation and low national climate vulnerability do not guarantee healthy ecosystems. The next phase links power-sector gains to heat, transport, industry, and effective nature restoration.
At a glance
Six signals, each with its own clock
Values are not forced into a false common year. The observation year and source sit on every card.
- Primary energy use
- 34,821 kWh/person
- Net forest-area change
- +4,800 ha/year
−36.1% since 1991 (1990 unavailable)
Small net gain in the latest interval
Original interpretation
What stands out
Each insight connects multiple indicators instead of repeating a headline number.
The decline is structural, not a one-year dip
Germany's territorial CO₂ was 45.7% below 1990 in 2024, and per-capita emissions fell by almost half. The trajectory includes reunification-era restructuring, efficiency gains, and a transformed power sector. Even so, 572.3 million tonnes is not a small residual, and territorial accounting does not include emissions embodied in imported goods.
See the evidenceRenewables lead, but fossil power has not disappeared
Wind, solar, bioenergy, and hydropower supplied 59.1% of electricity in 2025. Nuclear output was zero, while coal and gas together still supplied 37.1%. The mix illustrates the next challenge: maintain reliability while replacing the remaining fossil generation and using clean electricity to cut emissions from heating, transport, and industry.
See the evidenceHigh protection coverage is an input, not an outcome
About 80% of terrestrial KBA area was within protected areas in 2024, much higher than in the other profiles, and forest area showed a small net gain. Yet the Red List Index slipped from 0.98 to 0.97. Legal coverage does not measure habitat condition, connectivity, species abundance, or management effectiveness, so it cannot by itself establish that biodiversity decline has stopped.
See the evidenceEmissions
A trajectory, not just a latest value
Territorial fossil and industrial CO₂, with total and per-person views using the same selected years.
Germany CO₂ history
572.3 million t in 2024, compared with 1,054.8 million t CO₂ in 1990.
The complete values are available in the data table below. JavaScript adds the visual chart.
View emissions data table
| Year | Total (t CO₂) | Per person (t) |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,054,795,900 | 13.23 |
| 1995 | 939,933,600 | 11.46 |
| 2000 | 898,975,740 | 10.99 |
| 2005 | 867,880,500 | 10.58 |
| 2010 | 826,704,700 | 10.23 |
| 2015 | 800,822,500 | 9.76 |
| 2020 | 647,176,800 | 7.74 |
| 2021 | 677,997,700 | 8.10 |
| 2022 | 667,843,000 | 7.94 |
| 2023 | 593,766,000 | 7.02 |
| 2024 | 572,319,170 | 6.77 |
Energy transition
Electricity is the leading edge—not the whole system
Generation shares show the power recipe. Primary energy per person supplies the wider context.
Renewable electricity share
59.1% in 2025.
The complete values are available in the data table below. JavaScript adds the visual chart.
View renewable-share data table
| Year | Renewable share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.22% |
| 2005 | 10.34% |
| 2010 | 16.89% |
| 2015 | 29.44% |
| 2020 | 44.37% |
| 2022 | 44.37% |
| 2023 | 54.69% |
| 2024 | 58.64% |
| 2025 | 59.09% |
Electricity mix, 2025
500.5 TWh of domestic generation; shares are derived from the nine source rows.
- Coal
- 20.61% 103.15 TWh
- Gas
- 16.52% 82.67 TWh
- Oil
- 3.78% 18.91 TWh
- Nuclear
- 0.00% 0.00 TWh
- Hydropower
- 3.91% 19.56 TWh
- Wind
- 27.18% 136.03 TWh
- Solar
- 17.91% 89.62 TWh
- Bioenergy
- 10.10% 50.53 TWh
- Other renewables
- 0.00% 0.00 TWh
Land and food
Net forest change and agricultural gases
Two useful indicators with deliberately separate accounting boundaries.
Net forest-area change
2025+4,800 ha/year
Expansion minus deforestation; this is not a measure of forest health. 2020–2025 average.
Agricultural emissions
202354.6 Mt CO₂e
IPCC Agriculture greenhouse gases in CO₂e; excludes land-use CO₂ and energy.
Climate risk and biodiversity
Scores need direction, definition, and restraint
Exposure is kept separate from vulnerability and readiness; biodiversity coverage is not presented as ecological success.
Climate exposure
20240.382 / 1
0 is lower; 1 is higher
Modeled biophysical exposure component of ND-GAIN; invariant across the time series.
Climate vulnerability
20240.296 / 1
Down from 0.328 in 1995
Exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity combined; lower is better.
Adaptation readiness
20240.680 / 1
1 is more ready
Economic, governance, and social readiness to convert investment into adaptation.
Red List Index
20240.97 / 1
Down from 0.98 in 1995
Closer to 1 indicates lower aggregate extinction risk among assessed groups.
Protected KBA coverage
202480.0%
+34.3 points since 2000
Average share of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas.
Synthesis
Connections to watch
Watch 01
Watch whether renewable power growth is matched by electrification of heat, transport, and industrial processes.
Watch 02
Separate protected-area coverage from measurable improvements in habitat condition and species trends.
Watch 03
Use lower national vulnerability as capacity to act—not as evidence that physical climate hazards are absent.
What these numbers cannot tell us: National indicators cannot resolve local inequality, implementation quality, ecosystem condition, or the lived impacts of pollution and climate hazards. They are a starting map for investigation, not a verdict.
Methodology and downloads
A reproducible, bounded snapshot
24Earth retrieved this snapshot on 14 July 2026 and stores it locally. Each source is refreshed on its own schedule, so every metric retains its observation year instead of being relabeled “current.” Values are rounded only for display; downloads retain source precision where reuse permits.
Indicator data dictionary and source ledger
| Source family | Coverage / update | License / reuse | Boundary and 24Earth treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Carbon Budget (2025), processed by Our World in Data Global Carbon Project and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-11-13 | Source citation requested; OWID Chart API material is CC BY 4.0 where applicable, with original source terms continuing to apply. | Territorial fossil-fuel and industrial CO₂. Land-use change is excluded. |
| Yearly Electricity Data, compiled by Our World in Data Ember via Our World in Data | Through 2024–2025, depending on country; source update 2026-04-24 | CC BY 4.0 | 24Earth uses 2000 onward so the displayed generation data is within Ember coverage, avoiding legacy Energy Institute rows. |
| International primary energy consumption per capita U.S. Energy Information Administration | Through 2024; source update 2026 | U.S. government data are public domain; attribution requested. | EIA series INTL.47-33-{ISO3}-MBTUPP.A converted from million Btu per person to kWh per person using 293.07107. This is EIA, not IEA. |
| Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, processed by Our World in Data | Through 2025; source update 2025-12-05 | FAO open-data terms; attribution required. | Average annual net forest-area change for the latest assessment interval, not gross tree-cover loss. |
| FAOSTAT Emissions Totals — IPCC Agriculture Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | Through 2023; source update 2025-10-28 | CC BY 4.0 with FAO database terms | Item 1711, IPCC Agriculture; Element 723113, emissions in CO₂-equivalent using AR5 factors; FAO Tier 1. Source kt CO₂e values are multiplied by 1,000 for displayed tonnes. |
| World Population Prospects 2024 United Nations, processed by Our World in Data | Through 2023; source update 2024 | United Nations data terms; attribution required. | Historical population estimate used for context; it is not forced to the year of other indicators. |
| ND-GAIN Country Index 2026 release Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative | Through 2024; source update 2026-06-26 | CC BY 3.0 | Exposure is a modeled biophysical index from 0 (lower) to 1 (higher); it is not observed disaster loss. |
| Red List Index (UN SDG 15.5.1) BirdLife International and IUCN, distributed through UN SDG data and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-10-29 | Original IUCN and BirdLife reuse terms apply. Display only; omitted from downloads. | A national aggregate from OWID's 2025-10-29 snapshot is displayed with attribution. It differs from a later live UNSD revision, so versions are not blended. Raw species data and this metric are excluded from 24Earth downloads. |
| Protected coverage of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas (UN SDG 15.1.2) BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC, distributed through UN SDG data and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-10-29 | Original provider and Protected Planet reuse terms apply. Display only; omitted from downloads. | The national SDG aggregate is displayed with attribution. Raw protected-area and KBA data are not redistributed by 24Earth. |
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CSV is analysis-friendly; JSON preserves definitions, precision, and source metadata. Biodiversity aggregates are intentionally omitted from both files while original reuse rights are reviewed.
Licensing decision: This profile does not redistribute IEA data. Primary energy comes from U.S. EIA. Electricity history begins in Ember’s openly licensed modern coverage. Source access and reuse permission are treated as separate questions.
