Manya Rathore
Research expert covering India
Global energy consumption - statistics & facts
Global energy consumption peaked at some 620 exajoules in 2023 after growing steadily over the past decades. The Asia Pacific region consumed close to 50 percent of this amount. With a population of more than 1.4 billion people, China is currently among the largest primary energy consumers in the world, together with the United States and India. Their energy mix is dominated by fossil fuels, which represented over 80 percent of the global energy consumption in 2024.Â
Most consumed fuel types globally
Although the relative contribution of fossil fuels to primary energy consumption worldwide has declined over the past decades, their overall consumption reached a record high in 2024. Oil is the most important source of energy supplied in the world, at over 30 percent in 2024. It is followed by coal and natural gas, both with a contribution of approximately 25 percent. By comparison, renewable energy sources accounted for approximately nine percent of primary energy supply that year. Biomass was the largest source of renewable energy consumed in 2023, and the share of renewable energy in electricity generation globally has continuously grown over the past decade.Â
Growth in electricity consumption
Global electricity consumption has grown in light of strong economic performance by BRIC countries and the championing of electrification. In 2024, the global rate of electricity in the total final energy consumption was around 20 percent, ranging between 24.3 percent in Asia and 11.9 percent in Africa. China, the United States, Russia, and India have the highest electricity consumption of any country worldwide. Electrification has been deemed one of the most crucial tools for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as it allows for the use of renewables across multiple sectors.
