26 Countries That Consume More Energy Than They Produce

Limited in natural resources, Spain produces almost no crude oil or natural gas. As a result, the country imports tens of billions of dollars of crude petroleum annually, much of which goes to one of nine domestic refineries for processing. To ensure it is not overly dependent on one single country for its energy supply, Spain has placed limits on the share of oil and natural gas it can obtain from a single trading partner. Most crude oil that Spain buys comes from North America, the Middle East, Africa, and Russia.

For electricity production, Spain relies on a mix of renewables, fossil fuels, and nuclear power. There are seven active nuclear reactors in Spain that generate about 20% of its electricity. Another 38% comes from renewable sources such as hydropower.

Like its neighbor, Spain, Portugal produces negligible amounts of crude oil, natural gas, and coal. Also like Spain, Portugal imports billions of dollars worth of crude oil, much of which is refined domestically. One refinery in the industrial port city of Sines accounts for over 70% of Portugal’s refining capacity.

Unlike Spain, however, Portugal has no nuclear power plants, and how its neighbor disposes of its nuclear waste is a source of tension between the two countries. Electricity in Portugal is primarily generated by renewable sources, including wind, solad, and hydro.

Italy produces only a small percentage of the total natural gas it consumes annually. Much of its natural gas imports come by pipeline from Russia. Though Italy has relatively small proved reserves of crude oil, it is one of the continent’s major refining hubs. Italy imported $35.1 billion of crude oil and exported $13.9 billion in refined petroleum in 2019.

The Italian government has heavily subsidized renewable energy production in the country in recent years, and as a result, between 2000 and 2016, the share of electricity generated by wind and solar climbed from 1% to 18%. Today, renewable sources, including hydro, account for over 40% of electricity production in the country.

South Korea has limited natural energy resources, and as a result, the country of nearly 52 million people is one of the five largest importers of coal, natural gas, and petroleum in the world. The country imported over $67 billion of crude petroleum in 2019. Most of that oil came from Saudi Arabia, the United States, Kuwait, and Iraq.

A highly industrialized nation, electricity consumption in South Korea is driven by steel and petrochemical production. Currently, fossil fuels account for nearly 70% of electricity generation in the country, and renewable sources account for only about 5%. The government has set targets to generate 20% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 30% by 2040.

Japan is one of the wealthiest countries in the world and boasts a highly developed, diversified, and large economy. The island nation, however, is scarce in natural resources for power production and consumes far more energy than it is able to produce. As a result, it depends on international trade for energy. About 90% of Japan’s energy needs are supplied from sources abroad.

For about half a century, much of Japan’s domestically produced energy has come from nuclear power plants. However, following the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant following the tsunami in 2011, Japan ceased all nuclear energy production. Reactors have begun reopening in 2015, and many others are slated to reopen soon. The country plans to generate at least 20% of its electricity from nuclear plants by 2030.