Coal consumption per person in Australia
Australia: Coal consumption per person was 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
15,029 kilowatt-hours per person
Change on year
down 4.5%
World rank
8th
of 219 countries
All-time high
32,021 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2004
All-time low
15,029 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Coal consumption per person in Australia, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for coal consumption per person in Australia is 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 61 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.5% on the previous year and down 33.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, coal consumption per person in Australia peaked at 32,021 kilowatt-hours per person in 2004 and was at its lowest, 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person, in 2025.
Australia ranks 8th of 219 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Coal consumption per person in Australia, year by year
| Year | kilowatt-hours per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 17,788 kilowatt-hours per person | — |
| 1966 | 18,062 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.5% |
| 1967 | 18,225 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.9% |
| 1968 | 18,428 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 18,682 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 18,389 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 17,893 kilowatt-hours per person | -2.7% |
| 1972 | 18,259 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.0% |
| 1973 | 18,714 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 19,248 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 19,616 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 20,061 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 20,712 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.2% |
| 1978 | 21,011 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 21,712 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.3% |
| 1980 | 22,061 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 22,285 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 22,161 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.6% |
| 1983 | 21,833 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 22,784 kilowatt-hours per person | +4.4% |
| 1985 | 23,247 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 23,491 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 24,100 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 24,934 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.5% |
| 1989 | 25,725 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 25,945 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 26,120 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 25,982 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 25,892 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 26,164 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 26,756 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.3% |
| 1996 | 27,531 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 28,612 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 29,574 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 31,065 kilowatt-hours per person | +5.0% |
| 2000 | 30,924 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 30,244 kilowatt-hours per person | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 30,562 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 31,082 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 32,021 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 31,448 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 31,835 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 31,010 kilowatt-hours per person | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 31,693 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 30,063 kilowatt-hours per person | -5.1% |
| 2010 | 27,432 kilowatt-hours per person | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 26,338 kilowatt-hours per person | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 24,263 kilowatt-hours per person | -7.9% |
| 2013 | 22,647 kilowatt-hours per person | -6.7% |
| 2014 | 22,118 kilowatt-hours per person | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 22,566 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 22,197 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 21,088 kilowatt-hours per person | -5.0% |
| 2018 | 20,259 kilowatt-hours per person | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 19,088 kilowatt-hours per person | -5.8% |
| 2020 | 18,183 kilowatt-hours per person | -4.7% |
| 2021 | 17,432 kilowatt-hours per person | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 16,349 kilowatt-hours per person | -6.2% |
| 2023 | 15,716 kilowatt-hours per person | -3.9% |
| 2024 | 15,741 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person | -4.5% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 446.18 kilowatt-hours per person, 33.7× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Australia's 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 673.05 kilowatt-hours per person, 22.3× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18,237 kilowatt-hours per person | 17,788 kilowatt-hours per person | 18,682 kilowatt-hours per person | 5 |
| 1970s | 19,561 kilowatt-hours per person | 17,893 kilowatt-hours per person | 21,712 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 23,262 kilowatt-hours per person | 21,833 kilowatt-hours per person | 25,725 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 27,364 kilowatt-hours per person | 25,892 kilowatt-hours per person | 31,065 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 31,088 kilowatt-hours per person | 30,063 kilowatt-hours per person | 32,021 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 22,800 kilowatt-hours per person | 19,088 kilowatt-hours per person | 27,432 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,408 kilowatt-hours per person | 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person | 18,183 kilowatt-hours per person | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 5 South Africa 15,640 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 6 Taiwan 15,405 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 7 South Korea 15,352 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 9 USSR 14,290 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 10 Mongolia 12,806 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 11 Serbia 10,544 kilowatt-hours per person compare
More energy & mining data for Australia
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.4235 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 11.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is coal consumption per person in Australia?
- Coal consumption per person in Australia was 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest coal consumption per person recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 32,021 kilowatt-hours per person in 2004.
- What is the lowest coal consumption per person recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person in 2025.
- How does Australia rank for coal consumption per person?
- Australia ranks 8th out of 219 countries with data for 2025.
- Is coal consumption per person rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Coal consumption per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in kilowatt-hours per person.