Global per capita energy consumption by select country 2022

Qatar has the highest per capita energy consumption worldwide. In 2022, residents in Qatar used an average of 193,665 kilowatt-hours worth of energy - all of which was derived from fossil fuels. With the exception of Iceland, Norway, and Canada, all other countries listed among the top ten sourced energy almost exclusively from fossil fuels. Many of the leading consumer countries are also responsible for large oil production shares or the refining thereof.

Differences in energy consumption

There is a notable disparity between the highest and lowest energy users. Resource-rich countries outside the temperate climate zone tend to use more energy to heat or cool homes and are also more likely to use greater amounts of energy as costs are much lower. For example, electricity prices in oil and gas-producing countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia are only a fraction of those of resource-poor countries in Europe. Furthermore, energy consumption disparity is a strong indicator of the different income levels around the world and largely tied to economic prosperity. Consumption of primary energy may also decrease during times of economic recession, as was observed in 2009 and 2020.