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Photo: Benedict Adam · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

Topic 16 of 18 · Country Index 2026

Cook Islands: Energy

Where does a country’s electricity come from, and who can get it?

Cook Islands is placed 61st of 165 countries on energy in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 3 key statistics. Readings behind it: Carbon Intensity of Electricity 350 (2024); Renewable Share of Electricity Generation 50 (2024).

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Energy

61st

of 165 countries placed

Placed from 2 of 3 key statistics

Not placed in the Country Index 2026 overall: measured on too few topics.

01The evidence

The 3 key statistics that decide it

Only these place Cook Islands on energy — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.

Why these keys

  1. Key 1 of 3

    Carbon Intensity of Electricity

    Ember

    Why it is a key

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    350

    Carbon intensity (gCO₂e per kWh generated)

    Lower is better

    Cook Islands: 350. Across the 165 countries in this edition, values run from 23.73 (Bhutan) to 1,306 (Turkmenistan); the world median is 433.75.

    World median
    433.75
    Best in Polynesia
    350 Cook Islands

  2. Key 2 of 3

    Renewable Share of Electricity Generation

    Ember

    Why it is a key

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    50

    Renewables (% of electricity generated)

    Higher is better

    Cook Islands: 50. Across the 165 countries in this edition, values run from 0 (Gambia) to 100 (Paraguay); the world median is 32.06.

    World median
    32.06
    Best in Polynesia
    50 Cook Islands

  3. Key 3 of 3

    World Energy Trilemma Index

    World Energy Council

    Why it is a key

    2023 edition · data for 2023 · Express reuse grant (no Creative Commons licence named)

    No reading

    Trilemma score (0–100)

    Higher is better

    World Energy Council publishes no 2023 figure for Cook Islands, so the standing rests on the other keys.

    Across the 126 countries in this edition, values run from 27.7 (Niger) to 83.2 (Denmark); the world median is 63.8.

    World median
    63.8

03In context

Cook Islands beside its neighbours

A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 165 countries on energy, never a place within the region.

Polynesia
1st165thNot placed · 59 countries with too few key statisticsNo data

The whole world on energy

Cook Islands and Polynesia

Cook Islands has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. Standing among all 165; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.

CountryStandingCarbon Intensity of ElectricityCarbon intensity (gCO₂e per kWh generated)Renewable Share of Electricity GenerationRenewables (% of electricity generated)World Energy Trilemma IndexTrilemma score (0–100)
Cook Islands61st35050—
Samoa68th40043.75—
French Polynesia76th440.2834.72—
Tonga120th571.4314.29—
American Samoa139th622.225.556—
Niuenot placed———
Tuvalunot placed———

“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is

Across Polynesia

Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 165.

Placed either side on energy

The countries immediately above and below Cook Islands in the topic’s list.

04Context, no vote

Where Cook Islands is ahead of the world, and behind

14 more statistics filed under energy, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.

Every country

Ahead of the world median2

Statistics on which Cook Islands does better than the middle country measured.

  • Wind and Solar Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · 2024 · world median 5.27950▲ Improved since 2014

    Cook Islands: 50 · world median 5.279 · Wind and solar (% of electricity generated). Ember, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 69.12; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Low-Carbon Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · 2024 · world median 37.3250▲ Improved since 2014

    Cook Islands: 50 · world median 37.32 · Low-carbon sources (% of electricity generated). Ember, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 100; higher is better.

    Position 70th of 162 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

Behind the world median1

Statistics on which Cook Islands does worse than the middle country measured.

  • CO₂ Emissions per CapitaGlobal Carbon Project · 2024 · world median 3.215.833▼ Worsened since 2014

    Cook Islands: 5.833 · world median 3.21 · Fossil CO₂ (tonnes per person). Global Carbon Project, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.054 to 41.27; lower is better.

    Position 55th of 210 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

Level with the median, or no median to compare2

  • Primary Schools with ElectricityUIS · 2024 · world median 100100No real change since 2016

    Cook Islands: 100 · world median 100 · Primary schools with access to electricity (%). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 1.246 to 100; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Coal Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · 2024 · world median 00No real change since 2014

    Cook Islands: 0 · world median 0 · Coal (% of electricity generated). Ember, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 98.25; lower is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

No better end9

These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.

  • Solar Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · 2024 · world median 3.04950Moved since 2014

    Cook Islands: 50 · world median 3.049 · Solar (% of electricity generated). Ember, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 50.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Nuclear Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · 2024 · world median 00No real change since 2014

    Cook Islands: 0 · world median 0 · Nuclear (% of electricity generated). Ember, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 67.4.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Net Electricity Imports (share of generation)Ember · 2024 · world median 00No real change since 2014

    Cook Islands: 0 · world median 0 · Net electricity imports (% of domestic generation). Ember, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from -70.16 to 707.07.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Natural Gas ProductionEIA · 2024 · world median 00No real change since 2014

    Cook Islands: 0 · world median 0 · Dry natural gas produced (billion cubic metres). U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1,069.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Crude Oil ProductionEIA · 2025 · world median 00No real change since 2015

    Cook Islands: 0 · world median 0 · Crude oil produced (thousand barrels per day). U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 13,586.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Gas Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · 2024 · world median 2.5850Moved since 2014

    Cook Islands: 0 · world median 2.585 · Natural gas (% of electricity generated). Ember, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 99.97.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Solar Electricity Installed CapacityEIA · 2024 · world median 0.1440.006Moved since 2014

    Cook Islands: 0.006 · world median 0.144 · Solar generating capacity installed (gigawatts). U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 886.66.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Hydro Share of Electricity GenerationEmber · 2024 · world median 12.850No real change since 2014

    Cook Islands: 0 · world median 12.85 · Hydropower (% of electricity generated). Ember, 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 100.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Primary Energy ProductionEIA · 2024 · world median 0.0770Moved since 2014

    Cook Islands: 0 · world median 0.077 · Primary energy produced (quadrillion Btu). U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 130.76.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

No current reading for Cook Islands

Access to Electricity, Access to Electricity, Rural, Energy Intensity of GDP (PPP), Firms Identifying Electricity as a Major Constraint, Firms Owning or Sharing a Generator, Operating Coal Power Capacity, Operating Wind Power Capacity, Photovoltaic Power Potential (PVOUT), Primary Energy Consumption per Capita, RISE Clean Cooking Policy Score, RISE Electricity Access Policy Score, RISE Energy Efficiency Policy Score, RISE Renewable Energy Policy Score and World Energy Trilemma Index. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.

“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing

05Country Index 2026

Energy among Cook Islands’s 4 topics

Energy is Cook Islands’s 2nd best-placed topic of 4. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.

On the profile
  1. Development & Human Capital1st of 196
  2. Energy61st of 165
  3. Education & Knowledge91st of 198
  4. Health & Wellbeing98th of 200

No standing on Governance & Institutions, Economy & Innovation, Work & Labour, Environment & Sustainability, Gender & Equality, Democracy & Civil Liberties, Peace & Security, Risk & Resilience, Mobility & Trade, Food & Agriculture, Poverty & Inequality, Digital & Technology: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.

06The top of the list

Who leads on energy

The three countries placed highest of 165, and the leaders Cook Islands can most readily be measured against.

All 165 countries
  1. 1

    Bhutan

    Southern Asia

    1st of 165 · 2 of 3 keys

    Photo: VIkramjit Kakati derivative work: ויקיג'אנקי · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

  2. 2

    Norway

    Northern Europe

    2nd of 165 · 3 of 3 keys

    Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

  3. 3

    Uganda

    Eastern Africa

    3rd of 165 · 2 of 3 keys

    Photo: Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale

Placed highest nearby

  1. Highest in Oceania

    New Zealand11th3/3 keys

  2. Highest in Polynesia

    Cook Islands61st2/3 keys

Positions out of 165 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.

07Questions

Cook Islands on energy: questions answered

Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.

How does Cook Islands rank on energy?

Cook Islands is placed 61st of 165 countries on Energy in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 3 key statistics (Carbon Intensity of Electricity and Renewable Share of Electricity Generation). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.

What is the latest Carbon Intensity of Electricity figure for Cook Islands?

350 in 2024 (carbon intensity (gCO₂e per kWh generated)), according to Ember. The world median in the same edition was 433.75.

What is the latest Renewable Share of Electricity Generation figure for Cook Islands?

50 in 2024 (renewables (% of electricity generated)), according to Ember. The world median in the same edition was 32.06.

How have Cook Islands’s energy figures changed?

Carbon Intensity of Electricity fell from 666.67 in 2000 to 350 in 2024; Renewable Share of Electricity Generation rose from 0 in 2000 to 50 in 2024.

Which energy statistics are missing for Cook Islands?

No current reading is published for Cook Islands on Access to Electricity, Access to Electricity, Rural, Energy Intensity of GDP (PPP), Firms Identifying Electricity as a Major Constraint, Firms Owning or Sharing a Generator, Operating Coal Power Capacity, Operating Wind Power Capacity, Photovoltaic Power Potential (PVOUT), Primary Energy Consumption per Capita, RISE Clean Cooking Policy Score, RISE Electricity Access Policy Score, RISE Energy Efficiency Policy Score, RISE Renewable Energy Policy Score and World Energy Trilemma Index. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.

08Method

Method, sources and how to cite

What this topic does not measure

This is deliberately the electricity and energy-system subject, not an infrastructure one: roads, railways, ports, water and telecommunications would each need a global series this site does not hold. Emissions are under Environment & Sustainability. Access to electricity is published here in full but takes no part in any ranking — more than half the world’s countries now report 100%, and a position derived from that would read “1, 1, 1 … 123”, which is noise rather than information.

About energy, in full

How the Energy standing is decided

A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 3 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 3 keys to be placed.

The energy method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built

The key statistics and their licences

The other 14 statistics on this page come from 4 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.

The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photographs

Cook Islands’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Cook Islands: Energy — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/cook-islands/energy

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