Energy intensity by sector in Australia
Australia: Energy intensity by sector was 3.24 MJ/2011 USD PPP in 2012. ▼ Falling
Energy intensity by sector in Australia, 1990–2012
Source: World Bank and IEA (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in MJ/2011 USD PPP.
Analysis
Australia recorded 3.24 MJ/2011 USD PPP for energy intensity by sector in 2012. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 16.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, energy intensity by sector in Australia peaked at 4.55 MJ/2011 USD PPP in 1992 and was at its lowest, 3.24 MJ/2011 USD PPP, in 2012.
Australia ranks 90th of 189 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Energy intensity by sector in Australia, year by year
| Year | MJ/2011 USD PPP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.53 MJ/2011 USD PPP | — |
| 1991 | 4.51 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 4.55 MJ/2011 USD PPP | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 4.52 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 4.44 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 4.43 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 4.4 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 4.34 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 4.22 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -2.9% |
| 1999 | 4.08 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 4.04 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 4 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 3.88 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 3.76 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 3.69 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 3.56 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 3.49 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 3.47 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 3.4 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 3.3 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 3.29 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 3.28 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 3.24 MJ/2011 USD PPP | -1.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 3.24 MJ/2011 USD PPP is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.58 MJ/2011 USD PPP, 1.3× the median. (66 countries reporting)
- Australia's 3.24 MJ/2011 USD PPP is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.23 MJ/2011 USD PPP, 1.0× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.4 MJ/2011 USD PPP | 4.08 MJ/2011 USD PPP | 4.55 MJ/2011 USD PPP | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.66 MJ/2011 USD PPP | 3.3 MJ/2011 USD PPP | 4.04 MJ/2011 USD PPP | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.27 MJ/2011 USD PPP | 3.24 MJ/2011 USD PPP | 3.29 MJ/2011 USD PPP | 3 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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)
- 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)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 11.7% (2025)
- Ores and metals imports 1.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is energy intensity by sector in Australia?
- Energy intensity by sector in Australia was 3.24 MJ/2011 USD PPP in 2012, according to World Bank and IEA (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest energy intensity by sector recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.55 MJ/2011 USD PPP in 1992.
- What is the lowest energy intensity by sector recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.24 MJ/2011 USD PPP in 2012.
- How does Australia rank for energy intensity by sector?
- Australia ranks 90th out of 189 countries with data for 2012.
- Is energy intensity by sector rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank and IEA (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Energy intensity by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Energy intensity level of final energy (MJ/2011 USD PPP): A ratio between final energy consumption and gross domestic product measured at purchasing power parity. Energy intensity is an indication of how much energy is used to produce one unit of economic output. Lower ratio indicates that less energy is used to produce one unit of output.