China Energy Outlook 2020 - Flipbook - Page 22
Figure 1-4. Total Primary Energy Consumption per Capita, Selected Regions and Countries (2018)
Source: IEA, 2019c. Based on WEO2019 data. All rights reserved.
Note: Primary energy consumption here is calculated by the IEA using the physical energy content method for
converting electricity to standardized energy units. Using this method, China’s energy use per capita in 2018 was
3.26 tce/capita.
Similar to the trends of total energy use per capita in China, China’s primary electricity
consumption per capita also increased significantly over the last four decades, largely driven by
improved living standards and rising incomes which led to increased demand for energyconsuming equipment such as appliances, heating, and cooling in buildings. Figure 1-5 shows
that an average Chinese person already consumes more electricity than the world average.
However, an average Chinese person only consumed 37% of the electricity that an average U.S.
resident consumed in 2018.
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