Back to the Dual ChallengeTo fulfill the world's energy needs, we will need new, low-emissions energy solutions and we also must maximize the efficiency of existing energy sources.
Click to see how expected population growth maps onto today's energy consumption
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Energy consumption varies widely across geographies.
The average EU citizen consumes five times more energy than an average Indian citizen and ten times more than a citizen of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Sources: Bain & Company analysis; IEA World Energy Outlook 2022.Energy underpins longevity and prosperity
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Human well-being requires energy.
In less mature economies, small increases in energy consumption per capita are strongly associated with significant gains in the Human Development Index, a United Nations composite measure of indicators for health, education, and income—supporting the notion that energy is critical to human prosperity.
Sources: Bain & Company analysis; Our World in Data; Center for Global Development; BP Statistical Review of World Energy, 2021; EIA.Energy drives human well-being and longevity...
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Sources: Bain & Company analysis; BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2021; Vaclav Smil, Energy Transitions: Global and National Perspectives, 2017; Maddison Project Database 2020, Jutta Bolt and Jan Luiten van Zanden, "Maddison style estimates of the evolution of the world economy: A new 2020 update"; World Bank; Our World in Data.
Growth in global energy use has underpinned economic expansion and increases in life expectancy.
Yet addressing today's inequality in global energy consumption will require different approaches in different countries.
Note: GDP is adjusted for purchasing power parity.Sources: Bain & Company analysis; BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2021; Vaclav Smil, Energy Transitions: Global and National Perspectives, 2017; Maddison Project Database 2020, Jutta Bolt and Jan Luiten van Zanden, "Maddison style estimates of the evolution of the world economy: A new 2020 update"; World Bank; Our World in Data.
Understanding where each country begins will inform the path forward
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Different starting places, different priorities.
Populations and governments in low-income developing countries will continue to focus on expanding their energy supply to support economic development and improve living standards.
Notes: GDP per capita is shown on a logarithmic scale; country categorization reflects IMF economy classification system. Sources: Bain & Company analysis World Bank; IMF; BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2022; EIA; UN World Population Prospects 2019; Our World in Data.