World Energy Trilemma Index | 2019

The World Energy Council’s definition of energy sustainability is based on three core dimensions: Energy Security, Energy Equity, and Environmental Sustainability of Energy Systems. Balancing these three goals constitutes a ‘Trilemma’ and balanced systems enable prosperity and competitiveness of individual countries.

The 2019 World Energy Trilemma Index Report, developed in partnership with Oliver Wyman, provides an objective rating of national energy system performance across the three Trilemma dimensions. The Index demonstrates the impact of varying policy pathways countries have taken in each of the dimensions over the past 20 years.

Ten countries achieve the top AAA balance grade in the 2019 World Energy Trilemma Index, representing top quartile performance in every dimension. Overall Trilemma performance for 119 countries over the 20-year period has improved, with only 9 countries seeing their overall performance declining. The rate of improvement in overall Trilemma performance also increases as the transition progresses and encourages countries to improve their energy policies.

The top performers have balanced policies for consistent performance in each dimension, and high baselines in each indicator coupled with steady economic growth. The greatest improvers over time have made significant transitions from their 2000 baseline performance. Their rapidly improving energy systems are the result of a focus on electrification, energy generation diversity, and infrastructure investment, pushing up performance from a low baseline.

We have created the Trilemma to support an informed dialogue among stakeholders about improving energy policy to achieve energy sustainability, by providing decision-makers with information on countries’ relative performance. Readers are encouraged to use the Trilemma framework with its three dimensions of Security, Equity and Sustainability to engage with policy makers and energy communities in conversations about navigating the energy transition effectively and building prosperity for a nation’s citizens.

Full results and profiles per country, historical trends in each dimension and analysis from national stakeholders are available via the online Trilemma Tool.

Trilemma Tool