Consumption-based energy use per person in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Consumption-based energy use per person was 45.8 kilowatt-hours in 2020. ▼ Falling
Consumption-based energy use per person in United Kingdom, 1995–2020
Source: Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for consumption-based energy use per person in United Kingdom is 45.8 kilowatt-hours, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, consumption-based energy use per person in United Kingdom peaked at 58.6 kilowatt-hours in 2004 and was at its lowest, 41.2 kilowatt-hours, in 2017.
That places United Kingdom 27th out of 43 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Consumption-based energy use per person in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | kilowatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 49.2 kilowatt-hours | — |
| 1996 | 51.4 kilowatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 52.7 kilowatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 54.7 kilowatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 53.6 kilowatt-hours | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 55 kilowatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 55.3 kilowatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 54 kilowatt-hours | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 55.9 kilowatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 58.6 kilowatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 2005 | 57.8 kilowatt-hours | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 56.7 kilowatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 53.2 kilowatt-hours | -6.2% |
| 2008 | 50.9 kilowatt-hours | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 44.8 kilowatt-hours | -12.0% |
| 2010 | 46.6 kilowatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 43.5 kilowatt-hours | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 46.7 kilowatt-hours | +7.4% |
| 2013 | 46.3 kilowatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 47.7 kilowatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 50.2 kilowatt-hours | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 43.1 kilowatt-hours | -14.1% |
| 2017 | 41.2 kilowatt-hours | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 44.4 kilowatt-hours | +7.8% |
| 2019 | 45.2 kilowatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 45.8 kilowatt-hours | +1.3% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 45.8 kilowatt-hours is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 52.8 kilowatt-hours, 87% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 45.8 kilowatt-hours is below the median for high income countries, which is 54.35 kilowatt-hours, 84% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 52.32 kilowatt-hours | 49.2 kilowatt-hours | 54.7 kilowatt-hours | 5 |
| 2000s | 54.22 kilowatt-hours | 44.8 kilowatt-hours | 58.6 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.49 kilowatt-hours | 41.2 kilowatt-hours | 50.2 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.8 kilowatt-hours | 45.8 kilowatt-hours | 45.8 kilowatt-hours | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More energy & mining data for United Kingdom
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -1.3 % 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 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 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 8.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is consumption-based energy use per person in United Kingdom?
- Consumption-based energy use per person in United Kingdom was 45.8 kilowatt-hours in 2020, according to Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest consumption-based energy use per person recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 58.6 kilowatt-hours in 2004.
- What is the lowest consumption-based energy use per person recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.2 kilowatt-hours in 2017.
- How does United Kingdom rank for consumption-based energy use per person?
- United Kingdom ranks 27th out of 43 countries with data for 2020.
- Is consumption-based energy use per person rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Consumption-based energy use per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Consumption-based (or trade-adjusted) energy use measures domestic energy use minus energy used to produce exported goods, plus energy used to produce imported goods. Measured in megawatt-hours.