Primary energy use in Bangladesh grew from 114 kg of oil equivalent (kgoe) per person in 1990 to a peak of 308 kgoe in 2022, about 2.7 times higher. It then fell to 288 kgoe in 2023 and stayed there in 2024, a drop of 6.4% from the peak.
308 → 288 kgoe
Energy use per person, 2022 to 2024.
Before 2022 the series rose in almost every year, including 2020, the year of the pandemic. The fall since then is the first sustained decline in the 1990–2024 data. The same source shows net energy imports rising from 46.9% of energy use in 2022 to 48.5% in 2024, so the country was using less energy per person while depending more on imports to supply it.
The data do not say why use fell. The period coincides with higher import costs and well-documented pressure on the power and gas system, but the figures alone cannot separate rationing, lower industrial activity, efficiency gains and changes in how fuel is counted. Energy use here is primary energy before conversion: it includes the fuel burned in power plants, cooking fuels and transport, not only electricity.
At 288 kgoe, Bangladesh still uses little energy per person compared with most economies, so a lasting fall would be a warning sign for growth and living standards rather than a conservation success. Policymakers should watch whether the 2022–2024 decline reflects supply shortages or genuine efficiency before treating it as either.
Source: International Energy Agency (IEA) Energy Statistics, via World Bank WDI (EG.USE.PCAP.KG.OE, EG.IMP.CONS.ZS), 1990–2024.