Fossil fuel consumption in Australia
Australia: Fossil fuel consumption was 621.83 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
621.83 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
22nd
of 80 countries
All-time high
621.83 terawatt-hours
in 2025
All-time low
200.02 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Fossil fuel consumption in Australia, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, fossil fuel consumption in Australia stood at 621.83 terawatt-hours. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fossil fuel consumption in Australia peaked at 621.83 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 200.02 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
That places Australia 22nd out of 80 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Fossil fuel consumption in Australia, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 200.02 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 214.05 terawatt-hours | +7.0% |
| 1967 | 234.39 terawatt-hours | +9.5% |
| 1968 | 255.28 terawatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 1969 | 262.45 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 290.19 terawatt-hours | +10.6% |
| 1971 | 305.55 terawatt-hours | +5.3% |
| 1972 | 311.03 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 331.89 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 1974 | 351.74 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 1975 | 348.1 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 1976 | 355.82 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 372.6 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 1978 | 380.95 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 385.92 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 367.77 terawatt-hours | -4.7% |
| 1981 | 362.42 terawatt-hours | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 356.85 terawatt-hours | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 340.72 terawatt-hours | -4.5% |
| 1984 | 349.91 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 351.52 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 345.65 terawatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 353.03 terawatt-hours | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 369.84 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 1989 | 384.14 terawatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 392.9 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 381.25 terawatt-hours | -3.0% |
| 1992 | 388.78 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 402.42 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 415.67 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 427.78 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 439.01 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 446.06 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 445.97 terawatt-hours | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 456.15 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 455.98 terawatt-hours | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 457.08 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 461.98 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 460.26 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 471.3 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 478.7 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 493.64 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 506.27 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 512.72 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 504.14 terawatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 519.31 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 547.06 terawatt-hours | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 561.42 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 578.04 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 575.43 terawatt-hours | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 570.58 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 572 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 599.74 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 610.31 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 603.97 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 522.01 terawatt-hours | -13.6% |
| 2021 | 535.57 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 568.79 terawatt-hours | +6.2% |
| 2023 | 602.49 terawatt-hours | +5.9% |
| 2024 | 620.28 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 2025 | 621.83 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 621.83 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 144.34 terawatt-hours, 4.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Australia's 621.83 terawatt-hours is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 633.03 terawatt-hours, 98% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 233.24 terawatt-hours | 200.02 terawatt-hours | 262.45 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 343.38 terawatt-hours | 290.19 terawatt-hours | 385.92 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 358.19 terawatt-hours | 340.72 terawatt-hours | 384.14 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 419.6 terawatt-hours | 381.25 terawatt-hours | 456.15 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 480.21 terawatt-hours | 455.98 terawatt-hours | 512.72 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 573.78 terawatt-hours | 519.31 terawatt-hours | 610.31 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 578.49 terawatt-hours | 522.01 terawatt-hours | 621.83 terawatt-hours | 6 |
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)
- 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 in Australia?
- Fossil fuel consumption in Australia was 621.83 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fossil fuel consumption recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 621.83 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest fossil fuel consumption recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 200.02 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does Australia rank for fossil fuel consumption?
- Australia ranks 22nd out of 80 countries with data for 2025.
- Is fossil fuel consumption rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fossil fuel consumption. 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 terawatt-hours.