Fossil fuel consumption per capita by source in Australia
Australia: Fossil fuel consumption per capita by source 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
7th
of 79 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
Fossil fuel consumption per capita by source in Australia, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours per person.
Analysis
In 2025, fossil fuel consumption per capita by source in Australia stood at 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person. 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, fossil fuel consumption per capita by source 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.
That places Australia 7th out of 79 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Fossil fuel consumption per capita by source 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 1,585 kilowatt-hours per person, 9.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Australia's 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6,018 kilowatt-hours per person, 2.5× the median. (12 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
- 4 South Africa 15,640 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 5 Taiwan 15,405 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 6 South Korea 15,352 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 8 USSR 14,290 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 9 Czechia 9,984 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 10 Japan 9,834 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 fossil fuel consumption per capita by source in Australia?
- Fossil fuel consumption per capita by source in Australia was 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fossil fuel consumption per capita by source recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 32,021 kilowatt-hours per person in 2004.
- What is the lowest fossil fuel consumption per capita by source recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person in 2025.
- How does Australia rank for fossil fuel consumption per capita by source?
- Australia ranks 7th out of 79 countries with data for 2025.
- Is fossil fuel consumption per capita by source 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); Smil (2017); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fossil fuel consumption per capita by source. 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 of total energy supply per person.