Global per capita energy consumption is extremely unbalanced, let's see which countries have high per capita consumption and which countries have low per capita consumption?
In the 40 years since 1980, global energy consumption has doubled, from 77 trillion kWh to nearly 155 trillion kWh. Despite soaring energy demand in emerging economies, per capita energy consumption has only increased by about 14 percent. So which countries have the most per capita energy consumption?
Ranked by per capita energy consumption, the top 10 countries are relatively wealthy and highly industrialized. Iceland topped the list and has the highest per capita electricity generation. Iceland is rich in geothermal resources, with geothermal and hydroelectric power accounting for more than 99% of Iceland's total electricity generation.
Many of the top 10 countries are large energy producers or heavy industrial economies. Saudi Arabia, Canada, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar and other countries are the world's largest oil producers. Similarly, Trinidad and Tobago is the largest oil and gas producer in the Caribbean and one of the world's largest exporters of ammonia.
The presence of energy-intensive industries such as oil and gas extraction can be a major factor affecting total energy and per capita energy use in these countries.
The countries at the bottom of the per capita energy consumption ranking are the least developed African countries in the world (such as Somalia, Burundi, the Central African Republic, etc.), and the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is relatively low.
Compared to the global average of 19,836 kWh, the per capita energy consumption of these countries has decreased significantly. In stark contrast to the top-ranked countries, they all have a GDP per capita of less than $1,000.
