Fossil fuel consumption in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Fossil fuel consumption was 1,379 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1,379 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
17th
of 220 countries
All-time high
2,576 terawatt-hours
in 1973
All-time low
1,379 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Fossil fuel consumption in United Kingdom, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fossil fuel consumption in United Kingdom is 1,379 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 61 years on record.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 25.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fossil fuel consumption in United Kingdom peaked at 2,576 terawatt-hours in 1973 and was at its lowest, 1,379 terawatt-hours, in 2025.
United Kingdom ranks 17th of 220 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 61 years of available data.
Fossil fuel consumption in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 2,260 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 2,257 terawatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 2,248 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 2,326 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 1969 | 2,406 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 1970 | 2,464 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 1971 | 2,416 terawatt-hours | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 2,447 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 2,576 terawatt-hours | +5.3% |
| 1974 | 2,426 terawatt-hours | -5.8% |
| 1975 | 2,291 terawatt-hours | -5.6% |
| 1976 | 2,321 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 2,358 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 2,380 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 2,493 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 1980 | 2,264 terawatt-hours | -9.2% |
| 1981 | 2,194 terawatt-hours | -3.1% |
| 1982 | 2,147 terawatt-hours | -2.2% |
| 1983 | 2,139 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 2,127 terawatt-hours | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 2,206 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 2,275 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 2,284 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 2,291 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 2,271 terawatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 2,305 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 2,345 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 2,308 terawatt-hours | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 2,304 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 2,272 terawatt-hours | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 2,280 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 2,390 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 1997 | 2,330 terawatt-hours | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 2,343 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 2,340 terawatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 2,393 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 2,409 terawatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 2,351 terawatt-hours | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 2,389 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 2,426 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 2,436 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 2,415 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 2,370 terawatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 2,343 terawatt-hours | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 2,156 terawatt-hours | -8.0% |
| 2010 | 2,225 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 2,040 terawatt-hours | -8.3% |
| 2012 | 2,070 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 2,041 terawatt-hours | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 1,890 terawatt-hours | -7.4% |
| 2015 | 1,852 terawatt-hours | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 1,814 terawatt-hours | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 1,781 terawatt-hours | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 1,756 terawatt-hours | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 1,693 terawatt-hours | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 1,464 terawatt-hours | -13.5% |
| 2021 | 1,514 terawatt-hours | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 1,490 terawatt-hours | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 1,425 terawatt-hours | -4.4% |
| 2024 | 1,398 terawatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 1,379 terawatt-hours | -1.4% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1,379 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 117.38 terawatt-hours, 11.7× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1,379 terawatt-hours is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 138.09 terawatt-hours, 10.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,299 terawatt-hours | 2,248 terawatt-hours | 2,406 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 2,417 terawatt-hours | 2,291 terawatt-hours | 2,576 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,220 terawatt-hours | 2,127 terawatt-hours | 2,291 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,322 terawatt-hours | 2,272 terawatt-hours | 2,390 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,369 terawatt-hours | 2,156 terawatt-hours | 2,436 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,916 terawatt-hours | 1,693 terawatt-hours | 2,225 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,445 terawatt-hours | 1,379 terawatt-hours | 1,514 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More energy & mining data for United Kingdom
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -1.3 % 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 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 8.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fossil fuel consumption in United Kingdom?
- Fossil fuel consumption in United Kingdom was 1,379 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fossil fuel consumption recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2,576 terawatt-hours in 1973.
- What is the lowest fossil fuel consumption recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,379 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- How does United Kingdom rank for fossil fuel consumption?
- United Kingdom ranks 17th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is fossil fuel consumption rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – 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. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and gas.