G20 Per Capita Electricity Consumption: Who's the Biggest Consumer?

Indonesia hosted the G20 Energy Transition Working Group (ETWG) meeting in Yogyakarta on March 24-25, 2022.

The ETWG meeting was attended by representatives from G20 member countries, 10 invited countries, and 8 international organizations.

According to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), the ETWG meeting discussed three priority issues in energy transition: accessibility, technology, and funding.

The ETWG also discussed how to create affordable and sustainable energy, and strategies to improve the utilization of technology for clean industry development, renewable energy integration, and energy efficiency.

Indonesia's Per Capita Electricity Consumption Lowest in G20

On a per capita basis, citizens of G20 member countries generally have a fairly high level of electricity consumption, with an average of around 5-6 MWh/capita in 2020.

Electricity supply in G20 countries also largely still relies on fossil fuel power plants.

Here is a breakdown of the per capita electricity consumption of G20 citizens in 2020, compiled from data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and several other sources:

1. Canada: 14.5 MWh/capita
2. United States: 13 MWh/capita
3. South Korea: 11 MWh/capita
4. Australia: 10.3 MWh/capita
5. Saudi Arabia: 8.5 MWh/capita
6. Japan: 8.2 MWh/capita
7. Russia: 7.5 MWh/capita
8. Germany: 6.8 MWh/capita
9. France: 6.7 MWh/capita
10. China: 5.3 MWh/capita
11. Italy: 4.9 MWh/capita
12. United Kingdom: 4.5 MWh/capita
13. Turkey: 3.3 MWh/capita
14. South Africa: 3.2 MWh/capita
15. Argentina: 2.6 MWh/capita
16. Brazil: 2.5 MWh/capita
17. Mexico: 2.4 MWh/capita
18. India: 1.2 MWh/capita
19. Indonesia: 1.1 MWh/capita

The European Union, as a supranational organization and a G20 member, is not included in the list because the electricity consumption of its member countries is recorded separately by the IEA.

EU member states such as Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Slovakia, and others generally have electricity consumption levels in the range of 5-14 MWh/capita.

The country recorded as having the highest per capita electricity consumption in 2020 was Iceland, at 51 MWh/capita, followed by Norway at 23.2 MWh/capita.

(Also Read: Global Carbon Emissions Increased in 2021, Highest in History)