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.

Global energy consumption is on an upward trajectory, with projections indicating a substantial increase from ***** quadrillion British thermal units in 2022 to ***** quadrillion British thermal units by 2050. This growth reflects the world's increasing energy needs, driven by population growth, economic development, and technological advancements. Shifting energy landscape While fossil fuels currently dominate the energy mix, accounting for nearly ** percent of global primary energy demand in 2022, a significant shift is expected in the coming decades. Renewable energy sources are projected to play an increasingly important role, with electricity generation from renewables expected to almost triple between 2022 and 2050. This transition is crucial for addressing climate change concerns and reducing carbon emissions. Regional disparities and future outlook Energy consumption patterns vary significantly across regions and economic development levels. In 2022, emerging economies, including China, consumed almost *** exajoules of energy, compared to about *** exajoules in developed countries. China is expected to maintain its position as the world's largest energy consumer by 2050. As global energy demand continues to rise, the challenge lies in balancing economic growth with sustainable energy practices and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

Primary energy consumption is forecast to reach roughly 364 million barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2045. Oil and gas are expected to maintain their dominant role in the global energy sector, with a contribution of approximately 110 and 90 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, respectively. Which country consumes the most energy? Since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been a general upward trend in the usage of primary energy. In 2023, approximately 620 exajoules of primary energy were consumed globally. China was the leading primary energy consumer in the world, consuming around 170.7 exajoules, while the United States came in second position. Fossil fuels' ongoing dependence Global primary energy consumption is dominated by fossil fuels, despite a steady shift toward sustainable alternatives. Although the share of fossil fuels in the energy mix has been decreasing, renewable energy is still not sufficient to meet the current and future energy demand.

OECD Americas was the largest energy consumer in 1990, with a consumption of 110.7 quadrillion British thermal units. By 2020, non-OECD Asia was the largest consumer region worldwide and is expected to remain the leading consumer region by 2050, with a consumption of roughly 230 and 403 quadrillion British thermal units, respectively.

China was the largest energy consumer worldwide in 2022, and is expected to keep this leading rank until 2050, with a primary energy consumption amounting to 171.5 and 195.4 quadrillion British thermal units, respectively. By comparison, South Korea is expected to consume nearly 14.3 quadrillion British thermal units of energy in 2050.

According to a recent forecast, global electricity consumption will range between ****** and ****** terawatt-hours in 2030 and between ****** and ****** terawatt-hours in 2050, depending on the energy transition scenario. However, to keep the global temperature increase below *** degrees Celsius, the total electricity consumption in the world should be at ****** terawatt-hours in 2030, a result that is not likely to be achieved even if the current energy transition commitments are achieved (Achieved Commitments scenario).

The global energy landscape is shifting, reflecting a growing emphasis on renewable energy sources and the evolving nature of global energy consumption patterns. In 2023, fossil fuels accounted for almost ** percent of global primary energy demand, but this figure is projected to decrease to approximately ** percent by 2050. China's energy consumption leadership Since the beginning of the 2000s, global energy consumption has recorded an average increase of *** percent year-over-year, reaching *** exajoules in 2023. China has emerged as the world's largest consumer and producer of energy, using approximately ***** exajoules of primary energy in 2023. The country’s energy consumption has recorded a steep growth over the last *** decades, overtaking the United States -the second-largest energy supplier and consumer - around 2005. The country's dominance in energy consumption underscores its pivotal role in shaping global energy trends and environmental policies. Fossil fuels and the rise of renewables Although fossil fuels continue to dominate global primary energy consumption, the energy landscape is evolving, with renewable energy sources gaining ground. Investment in renewable energy has grown to over *** billion U.S. dollars per year in 2023, signaling a gradual shift towards more sustainable energy solutions. Although clean energy spending requirements for meeting the Paris Agreement targets are higher, this trend is expected to continue, potentially reshaping the global energy mix in the coming decades.

In 2022, the industrial sector accounted for the largest energy consumption worldwide, at 210 exajoules out of a total final energy consumption of 490 exajoules. Energy consumption is forecast to increase across all sectors in the current trajectory scenario by 2050, except for the transportation final energy consumption, which is projected to record a slight decline.

The global industrial sector uses more natural gas than any other type of fuel, consuming nearly 64 quadrillion British thermal units in 2022. The use of renewables is expected to almost double between 2022 and 2050, as the levelized cost for renewable energy technologies, such as wind and solar power, decreases. Global energy consumption outlook Global consumption of energy for industrial purposes is predicted to reach over 336 quadrillion British thermal units in 2050. Rising demand follows a trend of rising projected global energy consumption across all sectors until at least 2045. Despite the relative increase in renewable energy, it is expected that the overall demand for fossil fuels will continue growing. Gas will dominate the global industrial energy consumption over the next few decades. U.S. energy use by sector Since the 1970s, the industrial sector has been the largest consumer of energy in the United States. Transportation and commercial consumption have recorded the largest increase over the past 50 years, with consumption by the commercial sector nearly doubling since 1975. Primary energy consumption from fossil fuel sources in the U.S. is highest in the transportation sector.

Almost 70 percent of the global primary energy demand was met by coal, natural gas, and oil in 2022. According to projections based on the current trend of the energy sector, fossil fuels will maintain a leading role in the primary energy sector until 2050. However, a significant effort to decrease carbon emissions would determine a shift to renewable energy.

The primary energy demand in the Asia-Pacific region was forecasted to reach about *** quadrillion British thermal units (BTUs) by 2050, reflecting a substantial increase driven by rapid economic and population growth. Coal demand was forecasted to steadily decrease from around *** quadrillion BTUs in 2025 to approximately ** quadrillion BTUs in 2050, indicating the region’s shift towards cleaner energy. While coal consumption was projected to decline, demand for oil and natural gas was projected to rise, reflecting the complex energy transition facing the region. Rising energy demand and economic efficiency The Asia-Pacific region's primary energy demand is projected to rise by a quarter from 2023 to 2050. This projected increase highlights the region's continued significant role as the largest consumer of primary energy in the global energy market. Notably, the region is becoming more energy-efficient, with projections indicating a significant decrease in energy intensity by 2050, showing improvements in economic productivity relative to energy use. Environmental implications and energy transition efforts The increasing energy demand in the Asia-Pacific region has significant environmental implications. As the largest global emitter of energy-related CO2, the region faces mounting pressure to address climate change concerns. The forecasted growth in renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar, offers a promising path toward reducing emissions. Some countries in the region are increasing their efforts to transition away from fossil fuel dependency, particularly coal, with the aim of gradual decarbonizing the energy sector. For example, China and India, the two largest coal consumers in the region, have raised a larger share of investments in renewable energy and clean technologies. However, the fossil fuel sector in the region continued to receive a substantial portion of funding. The Asia-Pacific region relies on their governments for more determined efforts to realize their climate ambitions.

Efficiency measures are forecast to result in space cooling demand dropping by **** exajoules per year between 2018 and 2050. However, increased standard of living due to economic growth in addition to the greater need for air conditioning and ventilation in a climate change burdened world will lead to a combined **** exajoules per year in such energy demand.

In 2022, oil, coal, and natural gas combined accounted for ** percent share of the primary energy demand worldwide. By 2050, however, the share of primary energy demand from fossil fuels is forecast to decline to ** percent. Conversely, the primary energy demand for renewables is forecast to drastically increase by 2050 compared to 2022.

In order to limit the rise in global temperature by 1.5°C by 2050, the international shipping industry needs to both lower its energy consumption and decarbonize in line with net zero ambitions. In 2050, the industry will have to transition from using fossil fuels—namely heavy fuel oil and ******** sulfur fuel oil—to relying on renewable fuels—such as e-ammonia, e-methanol, and electricity.

In 2022, the energy demand of emerging economies, including China, amounted to almost 400 exajoules, compared to some 200 exajoules in developed countries. While primary energy demand is projected to decrease in developed economies by 2050, this figure will increase in China and other developing countries.

Hydrogen energy is in the spotlight as governments worldwide try to achieve their net zero emissions goal by the middle of this century. The most optimistic forecasts for global hydrogen demand are the ones proposed by the Hydrogen Council and BloombergNEF, the latter referring to the green scenario. In both cases, hydrogen demand in 2050 is expected to represent ** percent of the total energy demand worldwide. If the supply-side decarbonization only scenario were to be achieved, however, the Energy Transitions Commission predicts that hydrogen would account for roughly ** percent of the global energy supply.

It is projected that electricity generated worldwide will increase by nearly ** percent in the coming three decades, to reach some ** thousand terawatt-hours by 2050. That year, renewables are expected to be the largest source of global electricity, accounting for some ** percent of electric power produced. The boom of renewables Electricity generation from renewable sources is expected to experience the largest growth in the displayed period, almost tripling between 2022 and 2050. The past decade saw the beginning of a boom in global installed renewable capacity, which recently surpassed ***** terawatts. In 2021, Asia was the region with the largest renewable electricity production, at *** petawatt-hours. Electricity from fossil fuels Conventional sources like coal are increasingly being replaced. After peaking at more than ** percent in 2007, the fossil fuel share in the global power generation has decreased steadily ever since. However, in 2022, coal was still the largest source of electricity generation worldwide, with a share of ** percent.

Renewable energy generation and storage technologies will require molybdenum for their operations. By 2050, it is projected that approximately ** percent of the molybdenum used in the energy industry worldwide will be consumed by wind power applications.

Global electricity consumption was forecast to reach ** petawatt-hours by 2030, a growth driven by the electrification trend across the transportation sector, residential and commercial activities and buildings, and industrial sector. Electricity consumption worldwide was around ** petawatt-hours in 2022.

Electricity generation worldwide is forecast to almost triple in the next three decades when compared to 2023. With a growth rate of approximately ****** terawatt-hours per decade between 2030 and 2050, this figure will reach ****** terawatt-hours by 2050. Electrification and decarbonization The growth in worldwide power generation will largely be driven by decarbonization efforts, including the electrification of the transportation and building sectors. For instance, the global sales of electric vehicles have grown********** between 2018 and 2022.In the building sector, efforts to decarbonize heating systems also rely on clean electricity. The share of renewable energy used to power heat pumps worldwide is increasing, although it was below ** percent in 2022. Global electricity trends Since 1990, global power generation has increased every year except in 2009, following the global financial crisis, and in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasing power demand is the result of various factors, including economic development and increasing access to electricity throughout the world.