Primary energy use in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Primary energy use was 34.14 terawatt-hours in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
34.14 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
125th
of 219 countries
All-time high
34.14 terawatt-hours
in 2024
All-time low
8.98 terawatt-hours
in 2001
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Primary energy use in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1980–2024
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary energy use in Democratic Republic of Congo is 34.14 terawatt-hours, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 34.14 terawatt-hours in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.98 terawatt-hours, in 2001.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 125th of 219 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Primary energy use in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 17.67 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 18.18 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 18.66 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 18.94 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 18.47 terawatt-hours | -2.5% |
| 1985 | 18.24 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 19.38 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 1987 | 18.02 terawatt-hours | -7.0% |
| 1988 | 20.92 terawatt-hours | +16.1% |
| 1989 | 20.58 terawatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 19.78 terawatt-hours | -3.9% |
| 1991 | 18.23 terawatt-hours | -7.8% |
| 1992 | 19.76 terawatt-hours | +8.4% |
| 1993 | 19.65 terawatt-hours | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 16.28 terawatt-hours | -17.1% |
| 1995 | 17.08 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
| 1996 | 17.85 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 17.16 terawatt-hours | -3.9% |
| 1998 | 16.25 terawatt-hours | -5.3% |
| 1999 | 17.25 terawatt-hours | +6.1% |
| 2000 | 9.47 terawatt-hours | -45.1% |
| 2001 | 8.98 terawatt-hours | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 9.57 terawatt-hours | +6.6% |
| 2003 | 10.44 terawatt-hours | +9.0% |
| 2004 | 11.87 terawatt-hours | +13.7% |
| 2005 | 13.46 terawatt-hours | +13.4% |
| 2006 | 14.92 terawatt-hours | +10.8% |
| 2007 | 15.31 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 14.4 terawatt-hours | -5.9% |
| 2009 | 13.41 terawatt-hours | -6.9% |
| 2010 | 16.33 terawatt-hours | +21.8% |
| 2011 | 18.96 terawatt-hours | +16.1% |
| 2012 | 19.28 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 24.9 terawatt-hours | +29.1% |
| 2014 | 31.75 terawatt-hours | +27.5% |
| 2015 | 22.7 terawatt-hours | -28.5% |
| 2016 | 19.42 terawatt-hours | -14.5% |
| 2017 | 20.75 terawatt-hours | +6.8% |
| 2018 | 25.16 terawatt-hours | +21.2% |
| 2019 | 23.58 terawatt-hours | -6.3% |
| 2020 | 27.37 terawatt-hours | +16.1% |
| 2021 | 30.74 terawatt-hours | +12.3% |
| 2022 | 32.12 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 2023 | 34 terawatt-hours | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 34.14 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 34.14 terawatt-hours is above the median for low income countries, which is 13.82 terawatt-hours, 2.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 34.14 terawatt-hours is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.78 terawatt-hours, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 18.91 terawatt-hours | 17.67 terawatt-hours | 20.92 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.93 terawatt-hours | 16.25 terawatt-hours | 19.78 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.18 terawatt-hours | 8.98 terawatt-hours | 15.31 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.28 terawatt-hours | 16.33 terawatt-hours | 31.75 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.68 terawatt-hours | 27.37 terawatt-hours | 34.14 terawatt-hours | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More energy & mining data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 36.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary energy use in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Primary energy use in Democratic Republic of Congo was 34.14 terawatt-hours in 2024, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary energy use recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 34.14 terawatt-hours in 2024.
- What is the lowest primary energy use recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.98 terawatt-hours in 2001.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for primary energy use?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 125th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary energy use rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.