Energy Consumption at a Glance

Primary vs final consumption

  

Primary energy consumption measures total domestic energy demand, while final energy consumption refers to what end users actually consume [ES, 2021].

  

Global growth slowed down [Enerdata, 2023]

  

Global energy consumption growth slowed down in 2022 (+2.1%) but remained higher than its average 2010-2019 growth rate (+1.4%/year) [ED, 2023].  The two largest consumer countries were the most affected: it increased by 3% (+5.2% in 2021) in China, the world's largest energy consumer (25% of the share in 2022), while it rose by 1.8% in the U.S. (+4.9% in 2021).

  

Countries where growth has accelerated & slowed [Enerdata, 2023]

  

Strong economic growth pulled energy consumption in India (+7.3%), Indonesia (+21%), and Saudi Arabia (+8.4%).  On the other hand, primary energy consumption declined in Europe (-4%, including -4.4% in the EU, and around -3% in the UK and Türkiye), as fears of recession after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine..

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Total primary energy consumption

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The total primary energy consumption in 2023 was estimated at approximately 620 EJ (15,768 Mtoe), reflecting an increase compared to around 607 EJ (14,443 Mtoe) in 2022 [VC, 2024].  Figure 1 shows the world primary energy consumption in 2023, highlighting the distribution of consumption by country.