Energy use varies widely around the world. While the average resident of planet Earth consumes 3,486 kilowatt-hours of electricity every year, some countries consume more than 10 times that.
Electricity consumption is a function of wealth, industrial intensity, climate conditions, population density, and the availability and cost of energy resources. While the United States is the largest consumer economy, the average American uses 12,645 kilowatt-hours of electricity every year, the ninth most of any country. The U.S. is outranked by smaller, Nordic countries like Finland, Norway, and Iceland, where heating demands and industrial activity drive up electricity consumption. Other major electricity consumers include petrostates like Qatar and Bahrain, while small island nations like Curacao and Malta require disproportionately high energy imports to meet their power needs due to geographic isolation, raising electricity consumption per capita to world-leading levels. A closer look at the data reveals the countries using the most energy.
To determine the countries consuming the most electricity, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on electricity consumption from the World Bank. Countries were ranked based on annual electric power consumption per capita. Supplemental data on annual energy use per capita, GDP per unit of energy use, net energy imports as a share of total energy use, and fossil fuel consumption as a share of total energy consumption are also from the World Bank.
40. Curacao
- Electric power consumption: 5,140.1 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 5,775.0 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $4.78 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 236.1% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 97.9% of total
- Largest urban areas: Willemstad
39. Portugal
- Electric power consumption: 5,143.1 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 1,845.2 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $22.53 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 77.7% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 63.1% of total
- Largest urban areas: Lisbon, Porto, Barreiro, Funchal, Póvoa De Varzim, Amora, Braga, Setúbal, Esmoriz, Coimbra
38. Malta
- Electric power consumption: 5,174.0 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 1,456.2 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $39.68 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 389.6% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 87.2% of total
- Largest urban areas: Valletta, Żurrieq, Mosta, Xaghra, Victoria, Saint Paul’S Bay
37. Kazakhstan
- Electric power consumption: 5,271.5 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 3,562.3 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $9.41 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -122.0% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 98.2% of total
- Largest urban areas: Almaty, Oskemen, Atyrau, Semey, Pavlodar, Petropavl, Temirtau, Shymkent, Kostanay, Karaganda
36. Bulgaria
- Electric power consumption: 5,536.5 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 2,968.1 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $10.93 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 38.0% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 68.8% of total
- Largest urban areas: Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Ruse, Burgas, Pleven, Stara Zagora, Yambol, Vratsa, Pazardzhik
35. Estonia
- Electric power consumption: 5,749.2 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 2,880.9 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $14.48 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 1.8% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 60.9% of total
- Largest urban areas: Kohtla-Järve, Tallinn, Narva, Tartu, Pärnu, Sillamäe, Valga, Viljandi, Haapsalu, Paide
34. Denmark
- Electric power consumption: 5,929.1 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 2,483.1 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $28.78 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 44.4% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 50.0% of total
- Largest urban areas: Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg, Horsens, Roskilde, Randers, Esbjerg, Kolding, Ní¦stved
33. Czech Republic
- Electric power consumption: 5,987.6 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 3,525.6 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $13.48 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 41.6% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 67.8% of total
- Largest urban areas: Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Pilsen, Olomouc, Liberec, Hradec Králové
32. Germany
- Electric power consumption: 6,000.5 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 2,925.4 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $21.43 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 69.8% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 77.6% of total
- Largest urban areas: Dortmund, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt Am Main, Wuppertal, Dusseldorf, Hanover
31. Ireland
- Electric power consumption: 6,057.7 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 2,459.1 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $46.97 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 86.0% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 82.4% of total
- Largest urban areas: Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Blanchardstown, Waterford, Swords, Bray, Ennis, Drogheda
30. China
- Electric power consumption: 6,112.1 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 2,690.6 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $7.99 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 20.7% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 86.7% of total
- Largest urban areas: Guangzhou, Shanghai, Jieyang, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Beijing, Wuhan, Suzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang
29. Netherlands
- Electric power consumption: 6,198.0 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 3,398.5 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $20.80 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 87.6% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 83.5% of total
- Largest urban areas: Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Heerlen, Leiden, Utrecht, Eindhoven, Dordrecht, Haarlem, Arnhem, Tilburg
28. Hong Kong SAR, China
- Electric power consumption: 6,374.7 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 1,566.4 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $40.88 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 175.7% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 89.5% of total
- Largest urban areas: Sai Kung, Tai Long, San Tin, Peng Chau, Tai Tam Tuk, Sheung Pak Nai
27. France
- Electric power consumption: 6,456.6 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 3,138.4 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $17.21 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 47.2% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 46.5% of total
- Largest urban areas: Paris, Lyon, Lille, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nantes, Strasbourg, Rouen
26. Slovenia
- Electric power consumption: 6,470.3 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 2,878.2 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $16.63 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 48.9% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 57.8% of total
- Largest urban areas: Ljubljana, Maribor, Celje, Kranj, Velenje, Trbovlje, Ravne Na Koroškem, Jesenice, Koper
25. Israel
- Electric power consumption: 6,560.8 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 2,435.4 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $19.51 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 14.1% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 96.5% of total
- Largest urban areas: Tel Aviv, Haifa, Beer Sheva, Ashdod, Nazareth, Netanya, Modi’In Illit, Ashkelon, Qiryat Ata, Eilat
24. Trinidad and Tobago
- Electric power consumption: 6,591.0 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 11,038.4 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $2.79 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -75.5% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 99.9% of total
- Largest urban areas: Port Of Spain, San Fernando, Arima, Debe, Chaguanas, Couva, Sangre Grande, Scarborough, Point Fortin, Princes Town
23. Belgium
- Electric power consumption: 6,756.8 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 3,997.4 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $15.74 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 89.7% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 69.3% of total
- Largest urban areas: Brussels, Antwerp, Liège, Charleroi, Ghent, Kortrijk, Mons, La Louvière, Mechelen, Bruges
22. Switzerland
- Electric power consumption: 7,095.8 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 2,515.4 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $32.72 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 51.2% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 44.5% of total
- Largest urban areas: Zurich, Basel, Geneva, Bern, Lausanne, Lucerne, Sankt Gallen, Lugano, Winterthur, Biel/Bienne
21. Russia
- Electric power consumption: 7,184.4 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 5,601.1 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $6.94 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -75.1% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 89.5% of total
- Largest urban areas: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk, Rostov-On-Don, Krasnoyarsk, Kazan
20. Austria
- Electric power consumption: 7,772.3 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 3,324.7 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $19.37 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 63.7% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 62.1% of total
- Largest urban areas: Vienna, Linz, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Wels, Steyr, Bregenz, Villach
19. Japan
- Electric power consumption: 7,803.3 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 3,040.7 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $15.08 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 87.2% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 84.8% of total
- Largest urban areas: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Takasaki, Hiroshima, Kitakyushu, Sendai, Okayama
18. New Zealand
- Electric power consumption: 7,908.1 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 3,625.7 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $13.54 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 31.5% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 55.4% of total
- Largest urban areas: Auckland, Christchurch, Hillcrest, Wellington, Hamilton, Dunedin, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Lower Hutt, Napier
17. Oman
- Electric power consumption: 8,157.5 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 5,867.3 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $6.78 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -213.6% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 99.7% of total
- Largest urban areas: Al Ghubra, Muscat, Salalah, Seeb, Sur, Ar Rustaq, Saham, Nizwa, Sohar, Sudh
16. Australia
- Electric power consumption: 9,831.6 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 5,078.2 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $11.91 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -208.5% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 90.2% of total
- Largest urban areas: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Werribee, Wollongong, Geelong
15. Singapore
- Electric power consumption: 10,143.5 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 6,630.4 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $20.15 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 242.6% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 97.9% of total
- Largest urban areas: Singapore
14. Luxembourg
- Electric power consumption: 11,168.5 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 4,656.9 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $27.71 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 106.3% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 70.4% of total
- Largest urban areas: Luxembourg, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Differdange, Ettelbruck, Aubange, Dudelange, Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Huncherange, Prettingen
13. Brunei Darussalam
- Electric power consumption: 11,197.5 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 9,537.1 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $8.01 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -172.6% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 100.0% of total
- Largest urban areas: Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuala Belait, Lambak, Sengkurong, Bandar Seri Begawan, Kampong Lumut, Tagap, Kampong Telamba, Seria, Peramu
12. South Korea
- Electric power consumption: 11,307.7 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 5,351.1 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $9.42 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 84.6% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 79.1% of total
- Largest urban areas: Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju, Ulsan, Changwon, Jeonju, Cheongju-Si, Pohang-Si
11. Saudi Arabia
- Electric power consumption: 11,835.3 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 7,529.6 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $8.92 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -178.2% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 99.9% of total
- Largest urban areas: Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Mecca, Medina, Hofuf, Khamis Mushait, Tabuk, At Taif, Al Khobar
10. Sweden
- Electric power consumption: 12,121.7 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 4,252.6 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $14.78 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 28.3% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 24.9% of total
- Largest urban areas: Stockholm, Gothenburg, Uppsala, Helsingborg, Västerhaninge
9. United States
- Electric power consumption: 12,644.5 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 6,392.3 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $11.60 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -8.4% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 81.6% of total
- Largest urban areas: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Dallas, San Jose, San Diego, Houston, Washington D.C.
8. Canada
- Electric power consumption: 14,153.4 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 7,418.4 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $7.75 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -87.2% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 76.8% of total
- Largest urban areas: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Quebec, Calgary, Ottawa, London, Kitchener
7. Finland
- Electric power consumption: 14,352.5 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 5,866.6 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $9.59 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 31.8% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 32.7% of total
- Largest urban areas: Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lahti, Salo, Mouth Of River, Pori
6. United Arab Emirates
- Electric power consumption: 14,688.0 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 8,335.8 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $8.26 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -171.5% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 92.7% of total
- Largest urban areas: Dubai, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Sas Al Nakhl, Umm Al Quwain, Kalba, Al Rams, Dibba Al-Hisn, Fujairah
5. Kuwait
- Electric power consumption: 16,570.6 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 9,129.6 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $5.63 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -283.1% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 99.9% of total
- Largest urban areas: Kuwait City, Al Jahra, Jaber Al-Ahmad, Ahmadi, Sulaibiya, Az Zawr, Al Khiran, Ali Subah Al Salem
4. Qatar
- Electric power consumption: 19,381.1 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 16,683.7 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $6.88 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -396.1% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 99.9% of total
- Largest urban areas: Doha, Al Wakrah, Ras Laffan, Al Khor, Al Khor, Mesaieed, Dukhan, Al Dhakira, Al-Shahaniya
3. Bahrain
- Electric power consumption: 22,689.2 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: N/A
- GDP per unit of energy use: $5.38 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -45.5% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 100.0% of total
- Largest urban areas: Manama, Askar, Awali
2. Norway
- Electric power consumption: 23,520.0 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 4,649.3 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $19.38 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: -741.0% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 46.3% of total
- Largest urban areas: Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, Drammen, Kristiansand, Arendal, Skien, Fredrikstad, Halden
1. Iceland
- Electric power consumption: 50,082.8 kWh per capita
- Annual energy use per capita: 15,892.4 kg of oil equivalent per resident
- GDP per unit of energy use: $4.23 per kg of oil equivalent
- Net energy imports as share of total: 20.5% of energy use
- Fossil fuel energy consumption: 10.3% of total
- Largest urban areas: Reykjavik, Akureyri, Reykjanesbí¦r, Selfoss, Akranes
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