Over the past half a century, the world's electricity consumption has continuously grown, reaching approximately 27,000 terawatt-hours by 2023. Between 1980 and 2023, electricity consumption more than tripled, while the global population reached eight billion people. Growth in industrialization and electricity access across the globe have further boosted electricity demand. China's economic rise and growth in global power use Since 2000, China's GDP has recorded an astonishing 15-fold increase, turning it into the second-largest global economy, behind only the United States. To fuel the development of its billion-strong population and various manufacturing industries, China requires more energy than any other country. As a result, it has become the largest electricity consumer in the world. Electricity consumption per capita In terms of per capita electricity consumption, China and other BRIC countries are still vastly outpaced by developed economies with smaller population sizes. Iceland, with a population of less than half a million inhabitants, consumes by far the most electricity per person in the world. Norway, Qatar, Canada, and the United States also have among the highest consumption rates. Multiple contributing factors such as the existence of power-intensive industries, household sizes, living situations, appliance and efficiency standards, and access to alternative heating fuels determine the amount of electricity the average person requires in each country.

The industrial sector accounts for the greatest final electricity consumption in the world. As of 2018, the industry is responsible for roughly 42 percent of total electricity consumption. By comparison, a little over one fourth of global power use was related to households.

Oil is the most consumed primary energy fuel in the world. In 2023, some 196.43 exajoules worth of oil were consumed. That year, the consumption of fossil fuels registered an increase compared to the previous year. Rising demand for fossil fuels Demand for fossil fuels has remained high, as overall primary energy demand continues to increase. Excluding the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the use of oil has consistently grown each year. Consumption of other non-renewable fuel types has been more varied. Global natural gas consumption has risen more or less consistently. Its properties as a less carbon-intensive fossil fuel than coal have led to an increase in its use in the power sector, overtaking coal use in major economies such as the United States. Fossil fuels by region The U.S. is the leading natural gas consuming country in the world, as well as the largest producer of this fossil fuel and of crude oil. Russia, China, and the Middle Eastern region follow, as they have either the richest reserves of these raw materials or account for the largest refining capacity.

United States Energy Consumption: Industrial: Primary data was reported at 1,840.822 BTU tn in Apr 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,995.774 BTU tn for Mar 2018. United States Energy Consumption: Industrial: Primary data is updated monthly, averaging 1,799.537 BTU tn from Jan 1973 (Median) to Apr 2018, with 544 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,274.070 BTU tn in Nov 1973 and a record low of 1,465.155 BTU tn in May 1982. United States Energy Consumption: Industrial: Primary data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Energy Information Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.RB002: Energy Consumption.

Iran Electricity Consumption: Commercial and Public data was reported at 43,211.100 kWh mn in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 40,534.000 kWh mn for 2017. Iran Electricity Consumption: Commercial and Public data is updated yearly, averaging 11,930.000 kWh mn from Mar 1964 (Median) to 2018, with 55 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 43,211.100 kWh mn in 2018 and a record low of 73.000 kWh mn in 1964. Iran Electricity Consumption: Commercial and Public data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Energy. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Iran – Table IR.RB002: Electricity Generation and Consumption.

Global energy supply reached around *** exajoules in 2024. This represented an increase of roughly *** percent in comparison to 2023. In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on transportation fuel demand and the overall economic performance resulted in primary energy consumption declining to 2016 levels. Nevertheless, worldwide energy consumption is projected to increase over the next few decades. Most common types of fuel Oil is the main primary energy fuel in the world, followed by other fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. Each of these three sources had consumption levels of more than *** exajoules in 2023, while other fuel types were consumed considerably less. However, in recent years, renewables have become more frequently used as worldwide investment in clean energy has more than double since 2014. Energy industry performance Energy use rose consistently every year over the last two decades except for 2009 and 2020, following the global financial crisis and the aforementioned coronavirus pandemic. As fossil fuels remain the largest source of energy consumption, the prices of these commodities serve as an indicator of overall energy industry performance.

Electricity Consumption: Net: Intensive Mfg: Priority: Pulp, Paper and Paperboard data was reported at 256,565.000 MWh in May 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 262,200.000 MWh for Apr 2018. Electricity Consumption: Net: Intensive Mfg: Priority: Pulp, Paper and Paperboard data is updated monthly, averaging 258,397.000 MWh from Jan 2010 (Median) to May 2018, with 101 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 412,556.000 MWh in Sep 2010 and a record low of 196,325.000 MWh in Dec 2014. Electricity Consumption: Net: Intensive Mfg: Priority: Pulp, Paper and Paperboard data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Norway. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Norway – Table NO.RB007: Electricity Consumption and Generation.

Global primary energy consumption has increased dramatically in recent years and is projected to continue to increase until 2045. Only hydropower and renewable energy consumption are expected to increase between 2045 and 2050 and reach 30 percent of the global energy consumption. Energy consumption by country The distribution of energy consumption globally is disproportionately high among some countries. China, the United States, and India were by far the largest consumers of primary energy globally. On a per capita basis, it was Qatar, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Iceland to have the highest per capita energy consumption. Renewable energy consumption Over the last two decades, renewable energy consumption has increased to reach over 90 exajoules in 2023. Among all countries globally, China had the largest installed renewable energy capacity as of that year, followed by the United States.

Hong Kong Electricity Consumption: Street Lighting data was reported at 29.000 TJ in Sep 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 31.000 TJ for Aug 2018. Hong Kong Electricity Consumption: Street Lighting data is updated monthly, averaging 23.000 TJ from Jan 1970 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 585 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 43.000 TJ in Dec 2000 and a record low of 6.000 TJ in Aug 1972. Hong Kong Electricity Consumption: Street Lighting data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Census and Statistics Department. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong SAR – Table HK.RB001: Electricity Production & Consumption.

United States Electricity Consumption: Retail Sales: Commercial data was reported at 3.628 kWh/Day bn in Oct 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.071 kWh/Day bn for Sep 2018. United States Electricity Consumption: Retail Sales: Commercial data is updated monthly, averaging 3.365 kWh/Day bn from Jan 1991 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 334 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.355 kWh/Day bn in Aug 2016 and a record low of 2.100 kWh/Day bn in Mar 1991. United States Electricity Consumption: Retail Sales: Commercial data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Energy Information Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.RB068: Electricity Supply and Consumption.

Iran Electricity Consumption: Street Lighting data was reported at 991.000 kWh mn in Jun 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,251.000 kWh mn for Mar 2018. Iran Electricity Consumption: Street Lighting data is updated quarterly, averaging 1,009.000 kWh mn from Jun 2008 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 41 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,350.000 kWh mn in Mar 2017 and a record low of 515.000 kWh mn in Mar 2016. Iran Electricity Consumption: Street Lighting data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Energy. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Iran – Table IR.RB002: Electricity Generation and Consumption.

Iran Electricity Consumption: Household data was reported at 18,339.000 kWh mn in Jun 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 16,260.000 kWh mn for Mar 2018. Iran Electricity Consumption: Household data is updated quarterly, averaging 15,589.000 kWh mn from Jun 2008 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 41 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28,016.100 kWh mn in Sep 2017 and a record low of 12,262.000 kWh mn in Mar 2012. Iran Electricity Consumption: Household data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Energy. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Iran – Table IR.RB002: Electricity Generation and Consumption.

Korea Electricity: Consumption: Incheon data was reported at 2,019.014 kWh mn in Sep 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2,408.422 kWh mn for Aug 2018. Korea Electricity: Consumption: Incheon data is updated monthly, averaging 1,624.786 kWh mn from Jan 1997 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 261 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,408.422 kWh mn in Aug 2018 and a record low of 917.944 kWh mn in Jul 1998. Korea Electricity: Consumption: Incheon data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Korea Electric Power Corporation. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Korea – Table KR.RB003: Electricity Generation and Consumption.

Between 2013 and 2018, the role of renewables in global energy consumption improved drastically, as these sources (excluding hydropower) accounted for an average annual growth rate of almost 14 percent, while energy consumed from coal worldwide decreased by 0.7 percent within the same period.

In 2023, ** percent of IBM's energy conservation savings were attributed to IT equipment upgrade projects, while ** percent were attributed to heating and cooling related projects. Data center energy efficiency Automated, analytics-based systems are central in efforts to drive greater data center efficiency. Cooling in a data center involves separating hot air from cold air; too much hot air circulating in a data center can cause equipment to overheat and malfunction. The power usage effectiveness ratio, or PUE, is a measure of a data center’s energy efficiency, dividing total energy used by the data center by the energy consumed by the IT equipment. In an ideal world, a PUE of 1 is hoped for, where 100 percent of electricity consumption goes toward useful computation. Cooling, along with power supplies, lighting, and other factors, uses power but doesn’t compute, and as a result raises a data center’s PUE. Future challenges Artificial Intelligence (AI), high performance computing (HPC), and the Internet of Things (IoT) all demand faster and complex computing services. The rapidly growing cloud services segment, along with the growth of edge computing is creating ever growing energy demands and a need for efficient use of data center space. Data center providers are driven to demand more computing cores per square foot, maximizing the computational output their facilities can provide. One solution involves utilizing the power of graphics processing units (GPUs); data centers that support GPU servers can provide much higher efficiency and performance, use less power for advanced workloads, and require less floor space.

United States Energy Consumption: Fossil Fuels data was reported at 7,001.586 BTU tn in Aug 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 6,913.155 BTU tn for Jul 2018. United States Energy Consumption: Fossil Fuels data is updated monthly, averaging 6,340.282 BTU tn from Jan 1973 (Median) to Aug 2018, with 548 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8,102.790 BTU tn in Jan 2004 and a record low of 4,788.247 BTU tn in Jun 1982. United States Energy Consumption: Fossil Fuels data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Energy Information Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.RB002: Energy Consumption.

Egypt Electricity Consumption: Commercial and Domestic: Commercial data was reported at 778.000 kWh mn in Jun 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 630.000 kWh mn for May 2018. Egypt Electricity Consumption: Commercial and Domestic: Commercial data is updated monthly, averaging 272.000 kWh mn from Jul 2001 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 204 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 880.000 kWh mn in Sep 2017 and a record low of 132.000 kWh mn in Apr 2002. Egypt Electricity Consumption: Commercial and Domestic: Commercial data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Electricity and Energy. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Egypt – Table EG.RB004: Electricity Consumption.

As of 2018, fossil fuels dominated the fuel mix for primary and final energy, electricity generation, and carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. Around 40.6 percent of the final energy consumption globally was sourced from oil in that year, while renewable energies accounted for just one percent.

Electricity as a share of final energy consumption worldwide is expected to increase over the next decades. In 2018, 20 percent of global final energy consumption was from electricity, this is expected to increase to almost 50 percent by 2050.

This statistic shows the annual electricity consumption of AT&T worldwide from 2009 to 2018. The multinational telecommunication corporation used approximately **** million megawatt hours of electricity in 2018 in global operations.