Energy consumption in the Middle East, Africa and Asia continues to grow rapidly over the years, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Wednesday.
The three regions have driven nearly all global energy consumption growth, with about 20 percent growth in each region between 2010 and 2016, according to newly available data in EIA' s International Energy Statistics database.
In particular, energy consumption has been increasing in the Middle East and Africa. Economic growth, increased access to energy markets and quickly growing populations contribute to the increase. Energy consumption in Asia grew evenly as energy consumption in China declined between 2015 and 2016.
In the mature economies of North America, energy consumption grew by 1 percent between 2010 and 2016. In Europe, energy consumption fell 4 percent in the same period.
In terms of energy consumption in total, Asia and Oceania consumed much more energy overall, with 42 percent of 2016 world energy consumption, compared with 6 percent in the Middle East and 3 percent in Africa.
Globally, petroleum and other liquid fuels, including biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel, are the most prevalent form of energy consumed. Increasing supplies of U.S. shale oil and other international sources of liquid fuels have supported the growing consumption of these fuels, according to EIA.
In the meantime, China' s gross domestic product (GDP) grows faster than 6 percent per year compared with relatively flat total energy consumption in recent years. EIA said the data also demonstrates China' s improvements in energy intensity, which means GDP per unit energy.
Editor:Cherie
