1.2 Increasing Energy Demand
1.2 Increasing Energy DemandThe energy needs of most advanced economies in the Western world are increasing modestly. However, in some developing economies, where the economy is booming, energy demands are increasing dramatically, e.g., in India and several African countries. The figure below shows the latest gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of countries of the world in 2026. While advanced economies had a 1.8% annual percentage change in real GDP growth, emerging and developing Asia had a 4.9% annual percentage change in real GDP growth, with India having a 6.5% annual percentage change in real GDP growth, and Iran and Iraq had- 6.8% and -6.1%, respectively. Emerging and developing economies accounted for over 80% of global energy demand growth. According to the IEA's Global Energy Review 2025, global electricity consumption increased by approximately 1,100 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2024, more than double the annual average increase over the past decade. Currently, global energy consumption is growing at around 1-2% per year. This rate is faster than the average rate over the past decade. If many of the third-world countries dramatically increased their standard of living, worldwide energy consumption would likely double. But where would that energy come from, particularly since there aren't huge stockpiles of crude oil sitting around? Petroleum cannot supply it all, and neither can natural gas or coal.
Click here for a text description of the World Map of Real GDP Growth.
This image is a world map from the IMF DataMapper showing projected Real GDP growth as an annual percent change for the year 2026
The title of the image is "Real GDP growth (Annual percent change, 2026)". "IMF DataMapper" is displayed in the top-left corner. The data is attributed to "©IMF, 2026, Source: World Economic Outlook (April 2026)".
Color Scheme: Countries are color-coded into six distinct categories based on their economic growth rates, ranging from dark green for high growth to red for severe economic contraction.
Color Legend and Global Distribution: The legend is located in the bottom-left corner and maps out the following growth categories:
- 6% or more (Dark Green): Represents the highest growth brackets. This color covers a large portion of Central and East Asia (including China and India) and several nations across sub-Saharan Africa.
- 3% - 6% (Medium Green): Indicates robust economic growth. This color is prominent throughout South America (such as Brazil and Argentina), northern parts of Africa, and Southeast Asia.
- 0% - 3% (Light Green): Shows modest or slower positive growth. This color blankets most of North America (the United States and Canada), Europe, and Australia.
- 0% to -3% (Orange): Indicates mild economic contraction. This color is not visibly prominent on the map.
- Less than -3% (Red): Marks severe economic contraction. This bright red color stands out sharply in only a few locations, most notably Bolivia in South America and Iran in the Middle East.
- No Data (Light Grey): Indicates regions where data is missing, most noticeably over Greenland and Western Sahara.