Brief review of trends in world energy production and use

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In this review, we describe technology trends, focusing on world energy production and consumption and changes in those characteristics.  The amount and type of energy produced and consumed are indicators of technological development, as is the use of the internet, TV, radio, described in another of our reports.. Technology is an important part of the infrastructure of today's society and thus should help in understanding society's growth and development.

Specific characteristics in this report include:

            Energy production trends, and types of energy produced, world, OECD and non OECD 1980 to 2002.

            Energy consumption trends, and types of energy consumed, world, OECD and non OECD 1980 to 2002.

These reports are based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) International Energy Annual, http://www.eia.doe.gov/iea/   Additional information is from the EIA overview report at http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/iea/overview.html.

I  Summary

1. Overall, there has been an increase in production and consumption of energy.

2. In 2002, for the world as a whole, petroleum was the primary energy source, followed by coal, then dry natural gas (EIA overview).

3. Over this 22 year period, in the OECD countries, natural gas and nuclear energy became increasingly important as sources of energy.

4. In non OECD countries, as a group, use of petroleum increased, as did use of coal and natural gas. Use of hydroelectric and nuclear energy as sources of energy also increased although these sources remained a small percentage of total energy.

5. “The United States, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Canada were the world's five largest producers of energy in 2002, supplying 48.6 percent of the world's total energy.” In addition, “The United States, China, Russia, Japan, and Germany were the world's five largest consumers of primary energy in 2002, accounting for 49.8 percent of world energy consumption.” (EIA overview page, 2004).

6. In 2002, three of those countries, China, Russia and the US, together produced 39% of world energy and consumed 41%.

7.  Most of the countries with the lowest energy consumption per capita, both in 1980 and 2002, were in Africa and Asia and Oceana.  The countries with the highest energy consumption per capita were in mainly in Asia and Oceania, the Middle East, North America and Western Europe.

8. Two countries with high energy consumption per capita (Unites States and Canada) have large combined populations so most of the people who live in countries with high energy consumption per capita live in North America.
   

II Detailed Data

Energy Production

Energy Consumption

Energy consumption per capita

Countries with lowest energy consumption per capita in 1980

Africa
Saint Helena, Burundi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Chad

Asia and Oceania
Bhutan, Cambodia, Nepal

Countries with highest energy consumption per capita in 1980

Asia/Oceania
Guam and Brunei

Central and South America
US Virgin Islands and Netherlands Antilles (Central/South America),

Middle East
Quatar, Bahrain, Kuwait

North America
Canada, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, United States of America

Western Europe
Luxembourg

Countries with lowest energy consumption per capita in 2002

Africa
Chad, Ethiopia, Mali, Burundi, Somalia, Burkana Faso

Asia and Oceania
Cambodia, Afghanistan

Countries with highest energy consumption per capita in 2002

Asia and Oceania
Singapore

Central and South America
Netherlands Antilles, US Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago

Middle East
Bahrain, Kuwait, Quatar and United Arab Emirates

North America
Canada, United States of America

Western Europe
Gibraltar, Iceland and Norway, Luxembourg

III Appendix

A. Comparison with other data sources:

Key World Energy Statistics -- 2004 Edition (KWES), http://www.iea.org/bookshop/add.aspx?id=144   from the International Energy Agency, http://www.iea.org/.   This report shows a number of points similar to the US EIA reports. For example, the KWES similarly shows world energy production increasing, that petroleum or oil is the major source for energy consumption, and that the share of gas and nuclear energy as sources of energy production are increasing in the OECD.

B. Data

All data are based on the following tables:

Table 2.9 World Production of Primary Energy by Energy Type and Selected Country Groups (Quadrillion Btu) , 1980-2002
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/iea/wepbtu.html

Table 1.8 World Consumption of Primary Energy by Energy Type and Selected Country Groups (Quadrillion Btu), 1980-2002
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/iea/wecbtu.html

E.1c World Per Capita Total Primary Energy Consumption (Million Btu), 1980-2002.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/iea/wecbtu.html

Prepared by Gene Shackman, Wang Xun and Ya-Lin Liu
First Copyright September 2004. May be used provided proper citation is given.
Cite as
Shackman, Gene, Xun Wang and Ya-Lin Liu. 2004. Brief review of trends in world energy production and use.  Available at
http://gsociology.icaap.org/report/energy/energytrends.htm

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last updated 12/1/04