Primary energy use by source in Australia
Australia: Primary energy use by source was 39.59 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
39.59 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 20.4%
World rank
10th
of 80 countries
All-time high
39.59 terawatt-hours
in 2025
All-time low
0 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Primary energy use by source in Australia, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary energy use by source in Australia is 39.59 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.
That represents a change of up 20.4% on the previous year and up 234.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use by source in Australia peaked at 39.59 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
That places Australia 10th out of 80 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Primary energy use by source in Australia, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1967 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1968 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1969 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1970 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1971 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1972 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1973 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1974 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1975 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1976 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1977 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1978 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1979 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1980 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1982 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1983 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1984 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1985 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1987 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1988 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1989 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1990 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1991 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1992 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1993 | 0.002 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1994 | 0.0055 terawatt-hours | +175.0% |
| 1995 | 0.007 terawatt-hours | +27.3% |
| 1996 | 0.007 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.0075 terawatt-hours | +7.1% |
| 1998 | 0.018 terawatt-hours | +140.0% |
| 1999 | 0.043 terawatt-hours | +138.9% |
| 2000 | 0.134 terawatt-hours | +211.6% |
| 2001 | 0.287 terawatt-hours | +114.2% |
| 2002 | 0.5335 terawatt-hours | +85.9% |
| 2003 | 0.704 terawatt-hours | +32.0% |
| 2004 | 0.795 terawatt-hours | +12.9% |
| 2005 | 1.3 terawatt-hours | +63.4% |
| 2006 | 2.16 terawatt-hours | +66.4% |
| 2007 | 2.85 terawatt-hours | +31.9% |
| 2008 | 3.46 terawatt-hours | +21.3% |
| 2009 | 4.44 terawatt-hours | +28.3% |
| 2010 | 4.99 terawatt-hours | +12.3% |
| 2011 | 6.43 terawatt-hours | +29.0% |
| 2012 | 7.72 terawatt-hours | +20.1% |
| 2013 | 9.26 terawatt-hours | +19.9% |
| 2014 | 9.78 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 2015 | 11.83 terawatt-hours | +21.0% |
| 2016 | 13.04 terawatt-hours | +10.2% |
| 2017 | 13.21 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 16.26 terawatt-hours | +23.1% |
| 2019 | 19.47 terawatt-hours | +19.7% |
| 2020 | 22.61 terawatt-hours | +16.1% |
| 2021 | 26.8 terawatt-hours | +18.5% |
| 2022 | 30.05 terawatt-hours | +12.1% |
| 2023 | 31.84 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 2024 | 32.89 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 2025 | 39.59 terawatt-hours | +20.4% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 39.59 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.89 terawatt-hours, 10.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Australia's 39.59 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.61 terawatt-hours, 11.0× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary energy use by source in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +211.6% | 0.043 terawatt-hours | 0.134 terawatt-hours |
| 1994 | +175.0% | 0.002 terawatt-hours | 0.0055 terawatt-hours |
| 1998 | +140.0% | 0.0075 terawatt-hours | 0.018 terawatt-hours |
| 1999 | +138.9% | 0.018 terawatt-hours | 0.043 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.009 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0.043 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.67 terawatt-hours | 0.134 terawatt-hours | 4.44 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.2 terawatt-hours | 4.99 terawatt-hours | 19.47 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.63 terawatt-hours | 22.61 terawatt-hours | 39.59 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 primary energy use by source in Australia?
- Primary energy use by source in Australia was 39.59 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary energy use by source recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 39.59 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest primary energy use by source recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does Australia rank for primary energy use by source?
- Australia ranks 10th out of 80 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary energy use by source rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 234.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary energy use 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 terawatt-hours of total energy supply.