26 Countries That Consume More Energy Than They Produce

Malaysia consumes about 1,080 terawatt-hours — about 4% of what the United States consumes — of energy per year, slightly more than it produces. The bulk of energy the Southeast Asian nation generates is from non-renewable, environmentally harmful sources, like oil and natural gas. To meet its energy needs, in 2019, Malaysia also imported $18.1 billion in refined petroleum, $7.0 billion in crude petroleum, and $3.2 billion in coal.

The largest source of renewable energy production in Malaysia comes from hydroelectric power plants. The Bakun plant, located in Sarawak, a state in Malaysian Borneo, is the largest hydro plant in the country and one of the tallest dams in the world.

With a GDP of over $990 billion, Argentina is one of South America’s largest economies. Annual energy usage in the country — electricity consumption, industrial production, heating and cooling, and other uses — is about 2% higher than the country’s energy resources.

Argentina is doing more than many other countries to transition to renewable electricity production. Nearly one-third of the electricity the country generates comes from renewable sources, especially hydro-electric power. Still, the country imported about $3.8 billion of refined petroleum and petroleum gas in 2019 and emits over 188 tons of CO2 from fossil fuels alone annually.

Relative to the size of the country, Egypt’s natural resources are relatively scant. As of the end of 2019, the North African country had 3.1 billion barrels of proved oil reserves, more than a number of nations, but a small fraction of what many of its neighbors in the Middle East have. Additionally, the country does not have the infrastructure many other nations do for renewable electricity production. Only about 10% of electricity in the country is generated from renewable sources.

With limited resources and green energy infrastructure, Egypt consumes about 2% more energy than it produces. The country imported nearly $10 billion in refined petroleum, crude petroleum, and petroleum gas in 2019.

Petroleum fields were first discovered in Mexico in 1900, and over the decades since, the country has evolved into one of the most prolific petroleum producers in the world. Mexico produced an average of 1.9 million barrels of petroleum per day in 2019, according to the EIA. About 17.5% of the country’s electricity is generated through renewable sources — hydroelectricity accounting for the largest share, followed by wind and then solar.

Despite relatively robust energy production, demand for energy in the country of 127.6 million exceeds production. To help compensate, Mexico imported an average of 5.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas from the United States daily in 2019 — 96% of its total natural gas imports.

Home to 1.4 billion people, China is the most populous country on Earth. Despite producing in 2019 natural resources equivalent to 31,219 terawatt-hours of energy, the most of any country and nearly 17% more than the U.S., demand for energy exceeds production in China. Energy demand is fueled by rapid economic expansion in China, and in 2019, the country used 38,188 terawatt hours of energy, nearly 50% more than the U.S.

China is also the world’s largest polluter. Despite generating 27% of its electricity from renewable sources, a larger share than most countries reviewed, China emitted more than 10,700 tons of carbon dioxide in 2019 as the country continues to rely on coal. Coal supplied 58% of the country’s energy consumption in 2019, according to the EIA.