The Top Countries by Energy Consumption Per Capita in 2024
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Key Takeaways
- Countries with smaller populations and energy-intensive industries like manufacturing, aluminum smelting, or petrochemicals rank highly in terms of energy consumption per capita.
- While Iceland, Qatar, and Singapore are the top three countries, North America is the region with the highest energy consumption per capita.
Global energy consumption per capita continues to show striking regional disparities, shaped by industrialization, climate conditions, resource availability, and policy choices.
At the country level, smaller populations with more industrialized economies reliant on heavy manufacturing or petrochemical industries rank highly among the top energy consumers per capita.
This chart shows the top 15 countries by energy consumption per capita in 2024, as well as the consumption per capita across global regions using data from the Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy 2025.
Iceland and Qatar Lead in Per Capita Energy Consumption
Iceland had the highest per capita energy consumption worldwide in 2024 at 788 GJ per person, narrowly edging out Qatar at 769 GJ per person.
| Rank | Country | Primary Energy Consumption in Gigajoules (GJ) per Capita in 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Iceland |
787.7 |
| 2 |  Qatar |
768.5 |
| 3 |  Singapore |
649.2 |
| 4 |  United Arab Emirates |
496.5 |
| 5 |  Kuwait |
383.0 |
| 6 |  Trinidad & Tobago |
381.5 |
| 7 |  Saudi Arabia |
347.2 |
| 8 |  Oman |
302.4 |
| 9 |  Canada |
298.6 |
| 10 |  US |
265.9 |
| 11 |  South Korea |
254.2 |
| 12 |  Russia |
219.4 |
| 13 |  Australia |
204.8 |
| 14 |  Luxembourg |
203.1 |
| 15 |  Norway |
200.1 |
Iceland’s high energy use is made possible by its abundant geothermal and hydroelectric resources, which provide near-universal access to inexpensive renewable electricity.
Qatar also ranks highly since energy consumption per person is elevated due to its energy-intensive industries and reliance on air conditioning in its hot desert climate.
Many of the top energy-consuming countries per capita are those with small populations but outsized energy production or extreme climate demands, such as Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.
Notably, Canada and Saudi Arabia remain the only two countries in the top 10 with populations above 10 million, highlighting how smaller nations dominate the per capita rankings.
A Regional Look at Energy Consumption Per Person
At the regional level, North America remains the world’s highest per capita energy consumer at 217 GJ per person in 2024. That’s nearly three times the global average of 73 GJ.
| Region | Primary Energy Consumption in Gigajoules (GJ) per Capita in 2024 |
|---|---|
| North America | 216.6 |
| Commonwealth of Independent States | 162.7 |
| Middle East | 140.5 |
| Europe | 105.3 |
| Asia Pacific | 63.9 |
| South and Central America | 48.9 |
| Africa | 13.9 |
| World | 72.6 |
The gap between regions underscores the energy divide. North America’s energy use contrasts starkly with Africa’s 14 GJ per capita, reflecting the differences in access to energy infrastructure.
Europe, at 105 GJ per capita, and the Middle East, at 141 GJ per capita, remain significant consumers. The Commonwealth of Independent States also stands out at 163 GJ per capita, driven by energy-intensive economies like Russia and Kazakhstan.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
To learn about how different countries’ electricity demand per capita has changed over time, check out this graphic on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.