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Global Energy: Consumption and Supply

Every time you plug in a smartphone, you are participating in a vastly unequal global energy system.
The richest 1 billion people (around 13% of the world) consume 50% of all global energy, while the poorest 20% consume just 4%.
Regionally, energy consumption is highest in wealthy areas such as North America, Europe, and the Middle East. High-Income Countries (HICs) like Qatar consume vast amounts (194,222 kWh/year per capita), and the USA (containing just 4.25% of the world's population) consumes ~16% of global energy.
Conversely, the lowest energy consumption is concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa; Low-Income Countries (LICs) like Somalia consume as little as 217 kWh/year.
The global distribution of energy supply is heavily dictated by the spatial distribution of fossil fuel reserves:
- Oil (accounting for 30–31% of global energy) is predominantly found in the Middle East (e.g., Saudi Arabia), the USA, and Russia.
- Natural Gas (~25% of supply) reserves are heavily concentrated in Russia, Iran, and Qatar.
- Coal (~27% of supply) reserves are largest in Australia, the USA, and China.

The Global Energy Imbalance

The spatial relationship between energy supply and consumption creates clear winners and losers; many regions with high consumption (like Europe) lack sufficient domestic fossil fuel reserves, while regions with massive reserves (like the Middle East) produce far more than they consume.
An energy surplus occurs when a country's available energy exceeds the demand from its population and industry (e.g., Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar).
An energy deficit happens when demand exceeds internal production, forcing a reliance on expensive imports (e.g., the UK and Germany).
The difference between demand and domestic supply is called the energy gap, calculated as:

Students often state that renewable energy sources make a country less secure because they are intermittent. In reality, renewables increase security because they diversify the energy mix and reduce reliance on imported fuels.

When asked to 'Explain' increasing consumption, you must explicitly use a causal chain rather than just listing facts. For example: 'Economic development leads to higher wealth, which leads to the purchase of domestic appliances, which increases total electricity demand.'

In 'Analyse' questions regarding energy insecurity, always try to categorise the impacts into Social (e.g., energy poverty), Economic (e.g., loss of GDP from blackouts), and Environmental (e.g., pollution from cheap fuels) to guarantee broad mark scheme coverage.

When the energy available in a country exceeds the demand from its population and industry, allowing for export.

When a country's energy demand exceeds its internal production, forcing it to rely on imported energy.

The numerical difference between a country's energy demand and its ability to produce that energy from its own resources.

The process by which an economy is transformed from primarily agricultural to one based on the manufacturing of goods.

The increasing proportion of people living in built-up urban environments such as towns and cities.

The amount of solar radiation (sunlight) reaching a given area, determining the viability of solar power.

The shape, layout, and relief of a landscape, which heavily influences the potential for hydroelectric power.

A technique designed to recover gas and oil from shale rock by pumping high-pressure fluid into the ground to create cracks.

The specific combination of different energy sources (fossil fuels, renewables, nuclear) a country uses to meet its energy consumption needs.

A state where a country cannot meet its energy needs reliably or affordably, leading to economic and social disruptions.

A lack of access to modern energy services, forcing households to rely on traditional, often polluting, biomass fuels like wood.