Below, we identify and discuss the countries that both use and produce the most energy.
We also look at electricity generation specifically (separate to primary energy use).
Summary – Countries That Use & Produce The Most Energy
Countries That Use The Most Energy – In Total
In the last few decades, China has overtaken the US as the country that consumes the most energy
China currently uses the most energy of any country in the world by a significant margin, with the US in second place by a significant margin too
Countries That Use The Most Energy – Per Capita
Right now, Iceland, Qatar, Kuwait, Canada and the US might be countries that are commonly listed amongst the top 10 of per capita energy users
Countries That Use The Most & Least Electricity – Per Capita
The countries that use the most electricity are very similar to the countries that use the most energy per capita
Some of the least economically developed countries in the world may find themselves using the least electricity per capita
Countries That Produce The Most Energy – In Total
Similar to total energy consumption, we see that China overtook the US as the top energy producing country in the world in the last few decades
China produced the most energy in 2021 of all countries by a significant margin
The US was second
Countries That Produce The Most Electricity
China produces the most electricity in the world by a significant margin
The US is second
Energy vs Electricity
Note that there is a difference between energy and electricity generation.
Energy includes all primary energy use, which might include energy used for electricity, heating and transport fuel for example.
Electricity refer to only the energy used for electricity generation.
Energy Mix Of Major Countries Worldwide
Read more about the energy mix of different major countries worldwide in this guide.
You can also read more specifically about energy use in China in this guide, and energy use in the US in this guide – as they are some of the major energy consuming and producing countries in the world.
Energy Use In Different Sectors & Industries In Different Countries
Read more about energy use across the different industries and sectors in different countries.
Countries That Use The Most Energy – In Total
What we see below is that in the last few decades, China overtook the US as the country that consumes the most energy in the world
China currently uses the most energy of any country in the world by a significant margin, with the US in second place by a significant margin too
India and Russia are a clear third and fourth respectively, with a group of countries in a similar range behind them
Energy Use In 2006
According to infoplease.com, in 2006, the world’s top energy consumers in % were (in terms of the world’s energy consumed):
[The US at 21%]
[China at 16%]
[Russia was third at 6%, followed by Japan at 5%, India at 4%, and Germany at 3%]
China Overtakes The US In 2010
China [overtook] the United States as the world’s largest energy consumer in 2010 (phys.org)
Energy Use In 2021
From statista.com:
[Global primary energy consumption in 2021, in exajoules was:]
[China at 157.65]
[The US at 92.97]
[India was third at 35.43, followed by Russia at 31.3, and then the next country being Japan at 17.74]
Countries Use The Most Energy – Per Person/Per Capita
Per capita energy use leaders can change as population sizes fluctuate
However, with the data we have, Iceland, Qatar, Kuwait, Canada and the US might be countries that are commonly listed amongst the top 10
Countries That Use The Most Energy Per Capita
From economicshelp.org:
[In 2009, the countries that used the most energy per capita were (in kg of oil equivalent), in order from most to least:]
[Top 4 – Iceland (16404.7), Trinidad and Tobago, Qatar, and Kuwait (11402.1)]
[Other countries of note were Canada (7534.0) and North America (7098.5) at 9 and 10]
[See the full list of the top 19 countries at economicshelp.org]
Other data and metrics for total energy consumption per capita (up to the year 2014) can be found in the wikipedia.org report in the resources list at the bottom of this guide.
Countries That Use The Most & Least Electricity – Per Capita
When looking at the countries that use the most electricity per capita, they might be very similar to the ones that use the most energy per capita
Countries in the regions of Scandinavia, as well the Middle East, may also generally be found in the top 10
Some of the least economically developed countries in the world may find themselves using the least electricity per capita
Countries That Use The Most Electricity Per Capita
From telegraph.co.uk:
[The countries that use the most electricity per capita are (in order from 1 to 10):]
Iceland, Norway, Bahrain, Qatar, Canada, Kuwait, Finland, Luxembourg, Sweden, United States
Countries That Use The Least Electricity Per Capita
From telegraph.co.uk:
[The countries that use the least electricity per capita are (in order from 1 to 10):]
Haiti, South Sudan, Niger, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Benin, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, Nicaragua
Countries That Produce The Most Energy – In Total
Similar to total energy consumption, we see that China overtook the US as the top energy producing country in the world in the last few decades
China is currently the largest producer of energy in the world
2006
From infoplease.com:
In 2006, the countries that produced the most energy in quadrillion Btus (British Thermal Units), were:
[The US at 71 quadrillion Btu]
[China at 67.7]
[Russia at 53.3]
[Saudi Arabia was in fourth place at 24.7 quadrillion Btu, followed by Canada, and Iran]
infoplease.com also notes that ‘One Btu is nearly equal to the amount of energy released when a wood match is burned’ – just for reference of how much energy these figures might equate to
2012
In 2012, China produced the most energy
The US was second
From e-education.psu.edu:
[In 2012, the countries that produced the most energy (in quadrillion BTUs) were (in order from 1 to 10):]
[China, United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Indonesia, India, Iran, Australia, Qatar]
2021
China produced the most energy in 2021 of all countries by a significant margin
The US was second
From eia.gov:
[Total energy production in 2021, in quadrillion Btu, was:]
[China at 134.964]
[The US at 98.337]
[Russia at 64.103, followed by Saudi Arabia at 26.586, and Canada at 23.406]
Countries That Produce The Most Electricity
China produces the most electricity in the world by a significant margin
The US is second
From wikipedia.org
[The countries that produced the most electricity in 2021, in GWh, was:]
[China at 8,537,000]
[The US at 4,381,000]
[India in third at 1,669,000, followed by Russia at 1,157,000, and Japan at 1,030,000]
Sources
1. https://www.infoplease.com/science-health/energy/top-energy-producers-and-consumers
2. https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/5988/economics/list-of-countries-energy-use-per-capita/
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_energy_consumption_per_capita
4. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/mapped-the-countries-that-use-the-most-electricity/
5. https://phys.org/news/2010-07-china-surpasses-world-energy-consumer.html
6. https://www.statista.com/statistics/263455/primary-energy-consumption-of-selected-countries/
7. https://www.eia.gov/international/rankings/world?pa=12&u=0&f=A&v=none&y=01%2F01%2F2021
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_electricity_production
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