The trend in current and near future energy consumption from a statisticalperspective

Energy consumption has increased remarkably over the past half century main ly due to increasing population and economic development. The influences of these two factors are considered. In most developed countries, such as Jap an, France, Germany and Korea, the growth rate of energy consumption is due to economic development. The effects of population in Germany and Japan wi ll substantially decline. In the USA, it is due to both factors as well as in the developing countries, such as China, India, Indonesia and Latin Amer ica. Economic success is more effective than increasing Population in China , India and Indonesia, while both factors are roughly equal in Latin Americ a. In Africa, though the growth rate depends on the effect of increasing po pulation, its contribution to world energy consumption is small. On a world wide scale, the growth rate of energy consumption will be affected by impro ving standards of living. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserve d.