From 2019 to 2020, the value of globally exported electricity declined by -12.8%.
The 5 biggest electricity exporters are Germany, France, Laos, Canada and Paraguay. Collectively, that cohort of major electricity suppliers furnished 38.3% of total electricity exporters during 2020.
Among continents, exporters in Europe sold the highest dollar worth of electricity during 2020 with shipments valued at $17.9 billion or 62.3% of the global total. In second place were Asian exporters at 17.7%. Another 7.7% originated from North America, ahead of Latin America (7.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and Africa (5.2%).
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for electrical energy is 2716.
Electricity Exports by Country
Countries
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of electricity during 2020.
- Germany: US$3.3 billion (11.5% of total electricity exports)
- France: $2.2 billion (7.5%)
- Laos: $1.93 billion (6.7%)
- Canada: $1.89 billion (6.6%)
- Paraguay: $1.74 billion (6%)
- Switzerland: $1.56 billion (5.4%)
- China: $1.51 billion (5.2%)
- Austria: $1.28 billion (4.5%)
- Czech Republic: $899.5 million (3.1%)
- Sweden: $824.3 million (2.9%)
- Hungary: $732.9 million (2.5%)
- Spain: $727.4 million (2.5%)
- Netherlands: $675.2 million (2.3%)
- South Africa: $645.5 million (2.2%)
- Slovakia: $624.9 million (2.2%)
The listed 15 countries shipped 71.2% of global electricity exported in 2020 by value.
Four top exporters grew their electricity exporters since 2019 namely Laos (up 45.8%), Netherlands (up 41.1%), Paraguay (up 10.7%) and Slovakia (up 3.7%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported electricity sales were led by: Sweden (down -45.5%), Czech Republic (down -32.5%), France (down -28.2%), Hungary (down -18.1%) and Spain (down -15.1%).
Advantages
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for electricity during 2020. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported electricity and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Laos: US$1.8 billion (net export surplus up 54.4% since 2019)
- Paraguay: $1.74 billion (up 10.7%)
- Canada: $1.71 billion (up 16.3%)
- China: $1.33 billion (down -5.1%)
- France: $1.31 billion (down -41%)
- Germany: $1.01 billion (down -42.4%)
- Netherlands: $675.2 million (up 103.8%)
- India: $491.4 million (down -19.5%)
- Russia: $466.2 million (down -46.9%)
- Sweden: $465.9 million (down -56.6%)
- South Africa: $403.1 million (down -16.1%)
- Czech Republic: $390.4 million (down -26.9%)
- Switzerland: $307.8 million (down -28.1%)
- Austria: $272.5 million (up 84.8%)
- Norway: $240.3 million (reversing a -$28.6 million deficit)
Laos generated the highest surplus in the international trade of electricity. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms the strong Laotian competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Opportunities
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for electricity during 2020. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported electricity purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$1.7 billion (net export deficit up 9.7% since 2019)
- Thailand: -$1.6 billion (up 30.5%)
- Brazil: -$1.5 billion (up 4,412%)
- Italy: -$1.4 billion (down -27.3%)
- Hong Kong: -$803.3 million (down -4.9%)
- United Kingdom: -$731.7 million (down -37.7%)
- Hungary: -$538.9 million (down -21.2%)
- Poland: -$528 million (down -10.4%)
- Finland: -$476.8 million (down -52.3%)
- Macao: -$432.1 million (down -6%)
- Bangladesh: -$424.7 million (down -15.9%)
- Greece: -$341.6 million (down -22.6%)
- Argentina: -$288.8 million (down -18.8%)
- Cambodia: -$279 million (up 447.3%)
- Lithuania: -$268.7 million (down -49.9%)
The United States of America incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of electricity. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights America’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for electricity-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Companies
Electricity Exporting Companies
Below are global utility service providers, transmission system operators or distribution grid companies that represent players engaged in the international trade of electricity. The home country for each is shown within parenthesis.
- China Southern Power Grid (China)
- E.ON (Germany)
- Électricité de France (France)
- Enel (Italy)
- Eskom (South Africa)
- Hydro-Québec (Canada)
- PAO Rosseti (Russia)
- State Grid Corporation of China (China)
- TenneT (Netherlands)
- Vattenfall (Sweden)
Searchable List of Electricity Exporting Countries in 2020
Below, you will find an automated database containing the 85 key exporters of electricity on global markets.
| Rank | Exporter | Electricity Exports (US$) | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Germany | $3,313,958,000 | -12.3% |
| 2. | France | $2,154,501,000 | -28.2% |
| 3. | Laos | $1,934,927,000 | +45.8% |
| 4. | Canada | $1,891,369,000 | -0.9% |
| 5. | Paraguay | $1,736,269,000 | +10.7% |
| 6. | Switzerland | $1,557,139,000 | -14.3% |
| 7. | China | $1,507,951,000 | -5% |
| 8. | Austria | $1,281,414,000 | -4.7% |
| 9. | Czech Republic | $899,468,000 | -32.5% |
| 10. | Sweden | $824,342,000 | -45.5% |
| 11. | Hungary | $732,928,000 | -18.1% |
| 12. | Spain | $727,372,000 | -15.1% |
| 13. | Netherlands | $675,183,000 | +41.1% |
| 14. | South Africa | $645,455,000 | -12.9% |
| 15. | Slovakia | $624,852,000 | +3.7% |
| 16. | India | $491,404,000 | -19.5% |
| 17. | Russia | $488,773,000 | -46.4% |
| 18. | Belgium | $453,514,000 | +10.5% |
| 19. | Slovenia | $372,893,000 | -19.1% |
| 20. | Mozambique | $371,164,000 | -14.7% |
| 21. | Italy | $359,798,000 | +0.1% |
| 22. | Poland | $343,840,000 | -18.5% |
| 23. | Norway | $308,255,000 | -41.4% |
| 24. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $288,627,000 | -12.4% |
| 25. | Ukraine | $280,830,000 | -25.8% |
| 26. | Finland | $237,343,000 | +18.1% |
| 27. | Bulgaria | $228,595,000 | -40.8% |
| 28. | Romania | $222,549,000 | +33.1% |
| 29. | Croatia | $221,054,000 | -24% |
| 30. | Thailand | $212,931,000 | +2.9% |
| 31. | Portugal | $211,655,000 | +16.6% |
| 32. | Vietnam | $200,164,000 | +10.5% |
| 33. | United States | $197,102,000 | -51.7% |
| 34. | United Kingdom | $190,734,000 | +6.1% |
| 35. | Estonia | $155,651,000 | +5.9% |
| 36. | Denmark | $149,272,000 | -52.4% |
| 37. | Lithuania | $141,926,000 | -18.7% |
| 38. | Uzbekistan | $133,193,000 | +30.8% |
| 39. | Malaysia | $122,420,000 | -5.5% |
| 40. | Mexico | $120,518,000 | -47.2% |
| 41. | Serbia | $117,845,000 | +45.2% |
| 42. | Zambia | $112,343,000 | 0% |
| 43. | Guatemala | $108,332,000 | -58.2% |
| 44. | Uruguay | $101,987,000 | +15.2% |
| 45. | Togo | $96,578,000 | -11% |
| 46. | Latvia | $95,787,000 | -47.1% |
| 47. | Ghana | $95,105,000 | 0% |
| 48. | Turkmenistan | $92,917,000 | +609.2% |
| 49. | Turkey | $81,804,000 | -21.7% |
| 50. | Armenia | $69,369,000 | +5.8% |
| 51. | Ireland | $67,189,000 | -0.1% |
| 52. | Greece | $62,210,000 | -47.9% |
| 53. | Azerbaijan | $59,802,000 | -22.2% |
| 54. | Montenegro | $57,003,000 | -2.5% |
| 55. | Tajikistan | $55,493,000 | +59.2% |
| 56. | Ecuador | $55,379,000 | -18.9% |
| 57. | North Macedonia | $50,167,000 | +28.6% |
| 58. | Egypt | $49,127,000 | -7.6% |
| 59. | Nigeria | $48,930,000 | -42.9% |
| 60. | Ivory Coast | $46,433,000 | -59.4% |
| 61. | Iran | $36,577,000 | +4.6% |
| 62. | Kazakhstan | $36,226,000 | -22.5% |
| 63. | Belarus | $22,451,000 | -81.8% |
| 64. | Myanmar | $21,581,000 | -37% |
| 65. | Uganda | $20,096,000 | -54.9% |
| 66. | Jordan | $17,863,000 | +79% |
| 67. | Albania | $15,724,000 | 0% |
| 68. | Georgia | $15,139,000 | -57.6% |
| 69. | North Korea | $11,848,000 | +3.7% |
| 70. | Colombia | $11,469,000 | +3938% |
| 71. | El Salvador | $10,276,000 | -24.6% |
| 72. | Morocco | $7,856,000 | -87.1% |
| 73. | Zimbabwe | $5,142,000 | -69.7% |
| 74. | Luxembourg | $4,980,000 | -22% |
| 75. | Panama | $4,118,000 | -55% |
| 76. | Brazil | $1,950,000 | 0% |
| 77. | Malawi | $1,129,000 | 0% |
| 78. | Peru | $1,058,000 | -5.3% |
| 79. | Malta | $789,000 | -80.5% |
| 80. | Algeria | $571,000 | -94.7% |
| 81. | Mongolia | $558,000 | +65.6% |
| 82. | Rwanda | $366,000 | +0.3% |
| 83. | Singapore | $182,000 | 0% |
| 84. | Kyrgyzstan | $109,000 | -1.8% |
| 85. | Andorra | $81,000 | 0% |
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the columns. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that no 2019 data is available.
See also Crude Oil Exports by Country, Petroleum Gas Exports by Country and Drugs and Medicine Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on August 23, 2021
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on August 23, 2021
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 23, 2021
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 23, 2021
Wikipedia, Electricity distribution companies by country. Accessed on August 23, 2021
