Which Countries Use the Most Electricity?

[RealNapster]

Enjoy your heat, we thank the Himalayas for blocking the killer heat waves and making China a comfortable zone for living.

Haha. You can also thank it for preventing rain clouds from entering China hence making 25% of your country a desert.

Not that China dont have the capability to establish towns and cities in those deserts or grow food in farms. But still...

 

[ety]

Haha. You can also thank it for preventing rain clouds from entering China hence making 25% of your country a desert.

Not that China dont have the capability to establish towns and cities in those deserts or grow food in farms. But still...

Rain clouds carried from the Indian ocean probably are not going to penetrate into the interior of China say many desert places in Xinjiang if there no Himalayas. Tibet doesn't lack water, it is water resources very rich region in China. After all, India experiences drought most time of the year except the monsoon season.

 

[RealNapster]

Rain clouds carried from the Indian ocean probably are not going to penetrate into the interior of China say many desert places in Xinjiang if there no Himalayas. Tibet doesn't lack water, it is water resources very rich region in China. After all, India experiences drought most time of the year except the monsoon season.

Obviously I wasnt referring to tibet region.

But in a way it's good thing as well. Although we do get rains thank to Himalayan series. But it also brings devastating floods during monsoon... so you are not missing much.

 

[Beijingwalker]

Haha. You can also thank it for preventing rain clouds from entering China hence making 25% of your country a desert.

Not that China dont have the capability to establish towns and cities in those deserts or grow food in farms. But still...

Tibet is the water tap of Asia , Xinjiang deserts have little to do with the Himalayas.

 

[Beijingwalker]

Charted: China’s Rise to Energy Superpower​

June 15, 2026

Key Takeaways​

• China’s share of global energy consumption rose from 7% in 1980 to 28% in 2024, making it the world’s largest energy consumer.
• China now consumes more energy than the combined total of advanced economies outside the United States.
• Emerging and developing economies now account for 65% of global energy consumption, up from 37% in 1980.

Global energy demand has undergone a historic geographic shift over the last four decades.

In 1980, advanced economies consumed nearly two-thirds of the world’s energy. Today, emerging and developing economies account for almost two-thirds.

The chart above shows how China became the biggest driver of that transition, using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

China’s Energy Share Has Quadrupled​

China consumed 19 quadrillion BTUs of energy in 1980, accounting for just 7% of global demand.

By 2024, consumption had climbed to 171 quadrillion BTUs, raising China’s share to 28% and making it the world’s largest energy consumer.

The increase coincided with China’s transformation into the world’s manufacturing hub, rapid urban development, and rising household incomes, all of which required enormous amounts of energy.

Emerging Markets Now Drive Global Demand​

Emerging and developing economies consumed 105 quadrillion BTUs in 1980, or 37% of the world total.

By 2024, that figure had risen to 394 quadrillion BTUs, equal to 65% of global consumption.

Even excluding China, emerging markets consumed 223 quadrillion BTUs in 2024, more than all advanced economies combined.

Much of the growth in global energy demand now comes from countries that are still industrializing and urbanizing, particularly across Asia.

Advanced Economies Have Plateaued​

Advanced economies consumed 176 quadrillion BTUs in 1980 and 212 quadrillion BTUs in 2024.

While energy use continued to rise in emerging markets, demand in advanced economies grew slowly, causing their share of global consumption to steadily decline.

The Global Energy Map Has Changed​

One way to understand the scale of China’s rise is to compare it with other developed economies. In 2024, China consumed 171 quadrillion BTUs of energy, exceeding the combined total of advanced economies outside the United States (118 quadrillion BTUs).

That comparison highlights how dramatically the balance of global energy demand has shifted since 1980

How China Became the World’s Biggest Energy Consumer

China energy consumption has climbed to 28% of the world total, reshaping global energy demand.

www.visualcapitalist.com