Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP in Australia
Australia: Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP was 1,403 terawatt-hours in 2020. ▲ Rising
Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP in Australia, 1995–2020
Source: Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp in Australia is 1,403 terawatt-hours, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.6% on the previous year and down 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp in Australia peaked at 1,795 terawatt-hours in 2011 and was at its lowest, 1,078 terawatt-hours, in 1996.
That places Australia 17th out of 43 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP in Australia, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1,097 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1996 | 1,078 terawatt-hours | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 1,088 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 1,154 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 1999 | 1,174 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 1,170 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 1,206 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 1,241 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 1,303 terawatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 1,275 terawatt-hours | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 1,463 terawatt-hours | +14.7% |
| 2006 | 1,513 terawatt-hours | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 1,619 terawatt-hours | +7.0% |
| 2008 | 1,554 terawatt-hours | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 1,606 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 1,676 terawatt-hours | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 1,795 terawatt-hours | +7.1% |
| 2012 | 1,636 terawatt-hours | -8.9% |
| 2013 | 1,612 terawatt-hours | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 1,484 terawatt-hours | -7.9% |
| 2015 | 1,485 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1,322 terawatt-hours | -11.0% |
| 2017 | 1,534 terawatt-hours | +16.0% |
| 2020 | 1,403 terawatt-hours | -8.6% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1,403 terawatt-hours is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,134 terawatt-hours, 45% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1,403 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 499.77 terawatt-hours, 2.8× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,118 terawatt-hours | 1,078 terawatt-hours | 1,174 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 2000s | 1,395 terawatt-hours | 1,170 terawatt-hours | 1,619 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,568 terawatt-hours | 1,322 terawatt-hours | 1,795 terawatt-hours | 8 |
| 2020s | 1,403 terawatt-hours | 1,403 terawatt-hours | 1,403 terawatt-hours | 1 |
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 changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp in Australia?
- Changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp in Australia was 1,403 terawatt-hours in 2020, according to Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 1,795 terawatt-hours in 2011.
- What is the lowest changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,078 terawatt-hours in 1996.
- How does Australia rank for changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp?
- Australia ranks 17th out of 43 countries with data for 2020.
- Is changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Consumption-based (trade-adjusted) primary energy use measures domestic energy use minus energy used to produce exported goods, plus energy used to produce imported goods. Gross domestic product (GDP) is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.