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Global electricity market - statistics & facts

Electricity is a natural force that was first discovered thousands of years ago in Ancient Greece in the form of static. It was not until the 19th century, though, that electricity was fully harnessed for everyday use. Inventions that are taken for granted today, such as the light bulb, changed human history forever. Nowadays, electricity is essential in every sector of modern life – supporting both social and economic development – and life without it has become unimaginable.

Electricity consumption

Electricity demand has increased massively in the past four decades. Rising populations, technological advancement, and a widespread usage of consumer electronics has led the global electricity consumption to rise from around 7,300 terawatt hours in 1980 to more than25,000 terawatt-hours in 2021. With almost a billion people around the world still lacking electricity access, demand is projected to continue growing in the coming decades. Currently, China is by far the largest electricity consumer worldwide, followed by the United States. Combined, the two superpowers account for roughly 50 percent of global electricity consumption. When it comes to the electricity consumption per capita, however, the U.S. surpasses China by a wide margin, while Iceland and Norway lead the ranking, yielding the highest per person consumption worldwide.

Electricity generation

To keep up with the growing demand, global electricity generation reached a high of 28,466 terawatt-hours in 2021, more than double the annual output in the early 1990s. Electricity can be generated in several ways, including energy sources such as fossil fuels, nuclear energy, and renewable energy. As countries seek to reduce their carbon footprint, clean electricity generation has seen a noticeable increase in the past decade, accounting for over one-third of the total generation in 2021. However, fossil fuels are still the main source of electricity generation worldwide. In 2021, the global installed electricity capacity from fossil fuels was more than four terawatts – roughly 30 percent larger than the installed renewable capacity. Coal, the highest greenhouse gas emitter of the group, accounted for around 36 percent of the global power mix that year.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Mar 3, 2023

Key insights

Global net electricity consumption
25,343 TWh
Country with the highest power consumption
China
Country with the highest electricity price
Denmark
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Household electricity prices worldwide in June 2022, by select country (in U.S. dollars per kilowatt-hour)

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Global household electricity prices 2022, by select country

Installed electricity capacity worldwide in 2021, by source (in gigawatts)

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Global installed electricity capacity 2021, by source

Electricity consumption worldwide in 2021, by leading country (in terawatt-hours)

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Global electricity consumption 2021, by country

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