Global energy consumption growth accelerated in 2023 (+2.2%), much faster than its average 2010-2019 growth rate (+1.5%/year).

Global energy consumption grew faster than its historical trend (+2.2% in 2023), spurred by the BRICS (+5.1%), which accounted for 42% of the global energy consumption in 2023: energy consumption surged in China (+6.6%, twice its 2010-2019 average), India (+5.1%, slightly faster than the historical average), accelerated in Brazil (+3.3%, vs. +0.9% per year over 2010-2019), but it stagnated in Russia (+0.3%) and declined again in South Africa over supply issues (-1.2%). It also increased in the Middle East (+3.7%, with strong growth in Iran and the UAE), as well as in Algeria, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
In contrast , energy consumption declined for the 2nd year in a row in the OECD (-1.5%), in a context of moderate or slow economic growth and weak industrial activity: it dipped in the EU (-4.2%, including -9.3% in Germany), Japan (-3.5%) and South Korea (-2.8%), and remained stable in the US (higher oil consumption for transport but lower electricity consumption for cooling and falling coal consumption).