The world's electricity consumption has continuously grown over the past half a century, reaching approximately 25,500 terawatt-hours in 2022. Between 1980 and 2022, electricity consumption more than tripled, while the global population reached almost 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. In order 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 U.S. also rank 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.
Net electricity consumption worldwide in select years from 1980 to 2022
(in terawatt-hours)
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Enerdata. (September 7, 2023). Net electricity consumption worldwide in select years from 1980 to 2022 (in terawatt-hours) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 15, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/280704/world-power-consumption/
Enerdata. "Net electricity consumption worldwide in select years from 1980 to 2022 (in terawatt-hours)." Chart. September 7, 2023. Statista. Accessed July 15, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/280704/world-power-consumption/
Enerdata. (2023). Net electricity consumption worldwide in select years from 1980 to 2022 (in terawatt-hours). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 15, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/280704/world-power-consumption/
Enerdata. "Net Electricity Consumption Worldwide in Select Years from 1980 to 2022 (in Terawatt-hours)." Statista, Statista Inc., 7 Sep 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/280704/world-power-consumption/
Enerdata, Net electricity consumption worldwide in select years from 1980 to 2022 (in terawatt-hours) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/280704/world-power-consumption/ (last visited July 15, 2024)
Net electricity consumption worldwide in select years from 1980 to 2022 (in terawatt-hours) [Graph], Enerdata, September 7, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/280704/world-power-consumption/