Electricity Exports by Country 2024

When discussing exports, it’s much easier to visualize one country selling a commodity like wheat or carrots to another rather than something like electricity. But selling power is actually fairly easy and a great way to boost a country’s economy while helping other disadvantaged countries that may find it easier to purchase it rather than relying on their internal infrastructure to provide adequate power.

Some companies have a surplus especially if they have easy access to their own water, nuclear generators, or other larger power sources, so it makes sense to sell it to other countries that can benefit from it.

According to WorldsTopExports.com, the value of globally exported electricity has risen dramatically in the last few years. In 2018, overall exports were $34.9 billion USD, which rose 239 percent to $118.2 billion in 2022.

The largest overall exporters are five countries in the European Union that collectively furnished 42.8 percent of the world’s exported electricity in 2022. The EU exporters also sold the highest dollar worth that year with $102.9 billion, about 87 percent of the world’s total.

For 2023, Germany leads the pack of exporters and high-value exporters, sending out about $3.87 billion worth of electricity each year, which is about 15.8 percent of the world’s exports. This figure was $8.3 billion in 2021, and $9.88 billion in 2022.

Germany has continued to hold this ranking over the years and saw a 127 percent increase from 2021.

Other countries that also contribute significantly to the global export market include Switzerland, with $9.9 billion in 2023, and 8.4 percent of global value.

For 2021, it exported $3.8 billion. WorldsTopExports reported that Switzerland also gained a place on the “fastest-growing exporter” list. Since 2021, its power exports grew by 153.7 percent.

France exported about $9 billion in 2023, about 7.6 percent of the global value for power exporters. It also exported $7.09 billion in 2021.

In 2021, the Czech Republic contributed $3.53 billion, and Belgium contributed $2.91 billion.

OECWorld, produced by the Observatory of Economic Complexity, reported that electricity is the 52nd most traded commodity.

Interestingly, Germany and some of the other EU nations are also some of the top importers of electricity. It made OECWorld’s list in 2021, with $7.44 billion imported by Italy, $5.98 billion for Germany, $4.19 billion for France and $4.09 billion for Switzerland.