Primary energy use in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Primary energy use was 1,748 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1,748 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
17th
of 219 countries
All-time high
2,720 terawatt-hours
in 2005
All-time low
1,748 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Primary energy use in United Kingdom, 1965–2025
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
United Kingdom recorded 1,748 terawatt-hours for primary energy use in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 61 years on record.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use in United Kingdom peaked at 2,720 terawatt-hours in 2005 and was at its lowest, 1,748 terawatt-hours, in 2025.
United Kingdom ranks 17th of 219 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 61 years of available data.
Primary energy use in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 2,310 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 2,323 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 2,323 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 2,409 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 1969 | 2,498 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 1970 | 2,547 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 2,503 terawatt-hours | -1.8% |
| 1972 | 2,540 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 2,665 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
| 1974 | 2,532 terawatt-hours | -5.0% |
| 1975 | 2,387 terawatt-hours | -5.7% |
| 1976 | 2,435 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 2,483 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 1978 | 2,496 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 2,613 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 2,381 terawatt-hours | -8.9% |
| 1981 | 2,314 terawatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 2,285 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 2,295 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 2,295 terawatt-hours | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 2,395 terawatt-hours | +4.3% |
| 1986 | 2,459 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 2,455 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 2,488 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 2,493 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 2,511 terawatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 2,566 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 2,549 terawatt-hours | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 2,583 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 2,550 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 2,560 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 2,687 terawatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 1997 | 2,639 terawatt-hours | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 2,659 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 2,645 terawatt-hours | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 2,668 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 2,700 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 2,639 terawatt-hours | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 2,681 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 2,698 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 2,720 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 2,683 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 2,604 terawatt-hours | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 2,553 terawatt-hours | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 2,413 terawatt-hours | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 2,465 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 2,312 terawatt-hours | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 2,356 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 2,357 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 2,207 terawatt-hours | -6.4% |
| 2015 | 2,218 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 2,186 terawatt-hours | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 2,168 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 2,150 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 2,080 terawatt-hours | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 1,848 terawatt-hours | -11.2% |
| 2021 | 1,874 terawatt-hours | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 1,865 terawatt-hours | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 1,781 terawatt-hours | -4.5% |
| 2024 | 1,771 terawatt-hours | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 1,748 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1,748 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 158.21 terawatt-hours, 11.0× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1,748 terawatt-hours is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 208.03 terawatt-hours, 8.4× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,373 terawatt-hours | 2,310 terawatt-hours | 2,498 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 2,520 terawatt-hours | 2,387 terawatt-hours | 2,665 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,386 terawatt-hours | 2,285 terawatt-hours | 2,493 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,595 terawatt-hours | 2,511 terawatt-hours | 2,687 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,636 terawatt-hours | 2,413 terawatt-hours | 2,720 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,250 terawatt-hours | 2,080 terawatt-hours | 2,465 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,814 terawatt-hours | 1,748 terawatt-hours | 1,874 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 primary energy use in United Kingdom?
- Primary energy use in United Kingdom was 1,748 terawatt-hours in 2025, 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2,720 terawatt-hours in 2005.
- What is the lowest primary energy use recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,748 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- How does United Kingdom rank for primary energy use?
- United Kingdom ranks 17th out of 219 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary energy use rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.2%. 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); 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 — 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.