Energy

Which Countries Use The Most Electricity?

In 2017, global electricity consumption increased 2.5 percent to reahch 25,721 Twh. When it comes to consumption, China uses the most of any country at 25.9 percent, followed by the United States with 17.5 percent. On a per capita basis, the situation is different, however. According to the IEA Atlas of Energy, electricity consumption in Iceland was 54.4 megwatt hours per capita in 2017, the highest level of any country.

That's primarily due to abundant natural resources that make electricity production affordable along with energy-intensive industries. The harsh and dark Icelandic climate also contributes to heavy demand for electricity. The situation is similar in Norway which comes second with 23.7 megawatt hours per capita. Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait follow due to considerable demand for air conditioning.

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This chart shows electricity consumption in 2017 (MWh per capita).

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Electricity consumption per capita worldwide in 2025, by selected country (in kilowatt-hours)
Electricity consumption worldwide in 2025, by leading country (in terawatt-hours)
Net electricity consumption worldwide in select years from 1980 to 2024 (in terawatt-hours)
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Annual electricity consumption in the Nordic countries in 2015 and 2023 (in gigawatt-hours)
Leading countries based on per capita electricity demand in Europe in 2024 (in megawatt-hours)
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Annual electricity consumption in Iceland from 2015 to 2022 (in megawatt-hours)

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