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Energy

The mental math references for energy are below. At the bottom of the page you’ll find a list of sources for each figure, with the precise data point from that source.

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Energy consumption by region

Global energy consumption

China energy consumption

U.S. energy consumption

EU energy consumption

India energy consumption

600 quadrillion BTU

150 quadrillion BTU

100 quadrillion BTU

80 quadrillion BTU

40 quadrillion BTU

Global energy sources

Oil 

Coal 

Natural gas 

Solar

Wind 

Nuclear energy 

Hydro 

Biofuels 

30%

25%

20%

13%

10%

5%

3%

2%

*Do not add to 100% due to rounding and different reporting methodologies

Global energy demand

Global Daily Oil Demand

Global Gas (converted to Oil) Daily Demand

100 Million Barrels

70 Million Barrels

Energy consumption by sector

Industrial sector energy use

Transport sector energy use

Residential sector energy use

Commercial sector energy use

35%

30%

20%

20%

Transportation energy consumption

Electric car range

Gasoline car mileage

Aviation fuel consumption

Diesel train fuel efficiency

Ocean liner fuel efficiency

200 miles

25 miles per gallon

100 billion gallons per year

500 ton-miles per gallon

0.005 mpg

Per capita energy usage

Per capita energy use in U.S.

Per capita energy use in EU

Per capita energy use in India

80 mWh/year

35 mWh/year

10 mWh/year

Per capita electric and gas usage in the U.S.

Per capita electricity use

Per capita gasoline consumption

10 mWh/year

500 gallons/year

Energy prices

Electricity price in U.S.

Coal price in U.S.

Natural gas price in U.S.

Oil price in U.S.

15 cents/kWh

$150/ton

$3/mcf

$90/barrel

Energy efficiency

Solar panel efficiency

Wind turbine efficiency

Nuclear plant efficiency

Coal plant efficiency

Natural gas plant efficiency

20%

50%

35%

30%

45%

Carbon emissions

Global carbon emissions

U.S. carbon emissions

EU carbon emissions

China carbon emissions

40 gigatons/year

5 gigatons/year

3 gigatons/year

10 gigatons/year

Sources:

Energy consumption by region

Global energy consumption: 603.32 quadrillion BTU — Knoema
China energy consumption: 165.16 quadrillion BTU — Knoema
U.S. energy consumption: 99.19 quadrillion BTU — Statista
EU energy consumption: 77.6 quadrillion BTU — Statista
India energy consumption: 31.96 quadrillion BTU — Knoema

Global energy sources

Oil as global energy source: 30.9% — IEA
Coal as global energy source: 26.8% — IEA
Natural gas as global energy source: 23.2% — IEA
Solar as global energy source: 12.8% — IEA
Wind as global energy source: 10.1% — IEA
Nuclear energy as global source: 5% — IEA
Hydro as global energy source: 2.5% — IEA
Biofuels as global energy source: 2% — IEA

Global energy demand

Global Daily Oil Demand: 99.57 million barrels per day — Statista

Global Gas (converted to Oil) Daily Demand: 3 970 Bcm — IEA

Energy consumption by sector

Industrial sector energy use: 37% — IEA
Transport sector energy use: 27% — EIA
Residential sector energy use: 22% — University of Michigan
Commercial sector energy use: 18% — EIA

Transportation energy consumption

Electric car range: 219 miles — Gridserve
Gasoline car mileage: 25.4 miles per gallon— Motor1
Aviation fuel consumption: 95 billion gallons per year— Statista
Diesel train fuel efficiency: 520 ton-miles per gallon— CSX
Ocean liner fuel efficiency: 0.004 mpg— Juneau Carbon Offset

Per capita energy usage

Per capita energy use in U.S.: 78,754 kWh/year — Our World in Data
Per capita energy use in EU: 36,129 kWh/year — Our World in DataPer capita energy use in India: 7,143 kWh/year — Our World in Data

Per capita electric and gas usage in the U.S.

Per capita electricity use in U.S.: 12,202 kWh/year — EIA
Per capita gasoline consumption in U.S.: 562 gallons/year — News Nation Now

Energy prices

Electricity price in U.S.: 15 cents/kWh — EIA
Coal price: $150/ton — Trading Economics
Natural gas price: $3/mcf — Trading Economics
Oil price: $90/barrel — Trading Economics

Energy efficiency

Solar panel efficiency: 22% — Clean Energy Reviews
Wind turbine efficiency: 50%— University of Michigan
Nuclear plant efficiency: 35%— Energy Education
Coal plant efficiency: 30%— PCI
Natural gas plant efficiency: 45% — PCI

Carbon emissions

Global carbon emissions: 36.8 gigatons/year — IEA
U.S. carbon emissions: 4.97 gigatons/year— Statista
EU carbon emissions: 2.73 gigatons/year— Statista
China carbon emissions: 12.1 gigatons/year— IEA