Electricity generation from fossil fuels per person in United States
United States: Electricity generation from fossil fuels per person was 7,418 kilowatt-hours in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
7,418 kilowatt-hours
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
17th
of 214 countries
All-time high
9,919 kilowatt-hours
in 1998
All-time low
7,165 kilowatt-hours
in 2020
Years of data
41
1985–2025
Electricity generation from fossil fuels per person in United States, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, electricity generation from fossil fuels per person in United States stood at 7,418 kilowatt-hours.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from fossil fuels per person in United States peaked at 9,919 kilowatt-hours in 1998 and was at its lowest, 7,165 kilowatt-hours, in 2020.
United States ranks 17th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Electricity generation from fossil fuels per person in United States, year by year
| Year | kilowatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 7,983 kilowatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 7,806 kilowatt-hours | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 8,102 kilowatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 1988 | 8,408 kilowatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 1989 | 9,045 kilowatt-hours | +7.6% |
| 1990 | 8,927 kilowatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 8,818 kilowatt-hours | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 8,858 kilowatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 9,133 kilowatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 9,195 kilowatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 9,197 kilowatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 9,313 kilowatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 9,556 kilowatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 9,919 kilowatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 9,911 kilowatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 9,582 kilowatt-hours | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 9,423 kilowatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 9,502 kilowatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 9,507 kilowatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 9,626 kilowatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 9,807 kilowatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 9,636 kilowatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 9,900 kilowatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 9,589 kilowatt-hours | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 8,848 kilowatt-hours | -7.7% |
| 2010 | 9,267 kilowatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 8,879 kilowatt-hours | -4.2% |
| 2012 | 8,763 kilowatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 8,579 kilowatt-hours | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 8,517 kilowatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 8,372 kilowatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 8,071 kilowatt-hours | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 7,646 kilowatt-hours | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 7,943 kilowatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 7,662 kilowatt-hours | -3.5% |
| 2020 | 7,165 kilowatt-hours | -6.5% |
| 2021 | 7,386 kilowatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 7,487 kilowatt-hours | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 7,320 kilowatt-hours | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 7,390 kilowatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 7,418 kilowatt-hours | +0.4% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 7,418 kilowatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,115 kilowatt-hours, 2.4× the median. (75 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8,269 kilowatt-hours | 7,806 kilowatt-hours | 9,045 kilowatt-hours | 5 |
| 1990s | 9,283 kilowatt-hours | 8,818 kilowatt-hours | 9,919 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 9,542 kilowatt-hours | 8,848 kilowatt-hours | 9,900 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 8,370 kilowatt-hours | 7,646 kilowatt-hours | 9,267 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 7,361 kilowatt-hours | 7,165 kilowatt-hours | 7,487 kilowatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 14 New Caledonia 7,791 kilowatt-hours compare
- 15 United States Virgin Islands 7,700 kilowatt-hours compare
- 16 Aruba 7,680 kilowatt-hours compare
- 18 South Korea 7,259 kilowatt-hours compare
- 19 Israel 7,166 kilowatt-hours compare
- 20 Australia 6,516 kilowatt-hours compare
More energy & mining data for United States
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 1.94 % 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 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 7.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from fossil fuels per person in United States?
- Electricity generation from fossil fuels per person in United States was 7,418 kilowatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation from fossil fuels per person recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 9,919 kilowatt-hours in 1998.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from fossil fuels per person recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,165 kilowatt-hours in 2020.
- How does United States rank for electricity generation from fossil fuels per person?
- United States ranks 17th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from fossil fuels per person rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation from fossil fuels per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Electricity generation from coal, oil, and gas, measured in kilowatt-hours per person.