North America - Fossil fuel energy consumption (% of total)

Fossil fuel energy consumption (% of total) in North America was 81.50 as of 2015. Its highest value over the past 55 years was 95.19 in 1967, while its lowest value was 81.50 in 2015.

Definition: Fossil fuel comprises coal, oil, petroleum, and natural gas products.

Source: IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 (http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), subject to https://www.iea.org/t&c/termsandconditions/

See also:

Year Value
1960 94.67
1961 94.72
1962 94.80
1963 95.01
1964 95.03
1965 95.12
1966 95.19
1967 95.19
1968 95.12
1969 95.02
1970 95.00
1971 94.70
1972 94.42
1973 93.95
1974 93.11
1975 92.27
1976 92.15
1977 91.55
1978 90.82
1979 90.85
1980 90.38
1981 89.74
1982 88.98
1983 88.26
1984 87.73
1985 87.04
1986 86.25
1987 86.03
1988 85.78
1989 85.89
1990 85.16
1991 84.38
1992 84.38
1993 84.76
1994 84.47
1995 84.15
1996 84.27
1997 85.27
1998 85.06
1999 84.77
2000 84.90
2001 85.32
2002 85.14
2003 85.26
2004 84.98
2005 84.94
2006 84.47
2007 84.49
2008 83.91
2009 83.17
2010 83.21
2011 82.72
2012 82.44
2013 81.86
2014 81.98
2015 81.50

Development Relevance: Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources because they take millions of years to form, and reserves are being depleted much faster than new ones are being made. In developing economies growth in energy use is closely related to growth in the modern sectors - industry, motorized transport, and urban areas - but energy use also reflects climatic, geographic, and economic factors (such as the relative price of energy). Energy use has been growing rapidly in low- and middle-income economies, but high-income economies still use almost five times as much energy on a per capita basis. Total energy use refers to the use of primary energy before transformation to other end-use fuels (such as electricity and refined petroleum products). It includes energy from combustible renewables and waste - solid biomass and animal products, gas and liquid from biomass, and industrial and municipal waste. Biomass is any plant matter used directly as fuel or converted into fuel, heat, or electricity.

Limitations and Exceptions: The IEA makes these estimates in consultation with national statistical offices, oil companies, electric utilities, and national energy experts. The IEA occasionally revises its time series to reflect political changes, and energy statistics undergo continual changes in coverage or methodology as more detailed energy accounts become available. Breaks in series are therefore unavoidable.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Energy data are compiled by the International Energy Agency (IEA). IEA data for economies that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are based on national energy data adjusted to conform to annual questionnaires completed by OECD member governments. Data for combustible renewables and waste are often based on small surveys or other incomplete information and thus give only a broad impression of developments and are not strictly comparable across countries. The IEA reports include country notes that explain some of these differences. All forms of energy - primary energy and primary electricity - are converted into oil equivalents. A notional thermal efficiency of 33 percent is assumed for converting nuclear electricity into oil equivalents and 100 percent efficiency for converting hydroelectric power.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Restricted use: Please contact the International Energy Agency for third-party use of these data.

Classification

Topic: Environment Indicators

Sub-Topic: Energy production & use