Energy Efficiency: Transport
The global exchange for energy efficiency policies, data and impacts
Transport is responsible for around 29% of global final energy demand, a share that has been rapidly increasing. By implementing cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities available today, transport energy use could remain flat between now and 2040, despite activity levels doubling.
The Efficient World Scenario identifies opportunities in several transport sub-sectors
The Efficient World Scenario identifies the potential for transport activity to double by 2040, with energy use remaining at today's levels. Between now and 2040, efficiency could improve by at least 2.5% per year on averge in most transport sub-sectors.
2000-16 2017-40 Passenger light-duty vehicles 0.5 2.8 Road freight 0.1 2.6 Aviation 3.6 3.2 International Shipping 2.1 2.8
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Passenger cars
- Offers more than half of the potential energy savings in road transport in 2040.
- Energy efficiency could improve by 2.8% per year to 2040. The historic trend since 2000 is 0.5% per year, but recently implemented and planned policies could raise this to 2%.
- The average passenger car in 2040 could be as efficient as today’s best hybrids and more than 40% of the global car fleet could be electric.
Trucks
- Trucks represent 42% of the potential energy savings in road transport in 2040.
- Recently implemented and planned policies could see the annual efficiency improvement rate increase to 1.5%, compared with the historic trend of less than 0.1%.
- The EWS sees the annual improvement rate raised to over 2.5% through policies being strengthened and more widely applied.
Aviation & shipping
- Non-road transport (aviation, shipping and rail) represents one-third of total transport sector energy savings potential in 2040.
- Efficiency improvement rates in aviation and shipping could grow to 3% per annum, double the rates achieved in 2016.
Fuel Economy in Major Car Markets: Technology and Policy Drivers 2005-2017
Released: 20 March 2019
While the average fuel economy of vehicles continues to improve, the rate of progress has slowed in recent years. Fuel Economy in Major Car Markets looks at fuel economy developments between 2005 and 2017. It shows that average amount of fuel required to travel 100 km improved by 1.3% in 2016 and 2017, down from 2% per year between 2013 and 2015.
Explore the findingsPolicy insights
The IEA Efficient World Strategy highlights a range of actions through which governments can enable greater transport sector energy efficiency gains.
Explore the data
- Efficiency indicaors
- Policy
- Impacts
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North America Central & South America Middle East Global Eurasia Africa Other Asia Pacific Europe China India
2000 0.301 0.172 0.185 0.216 0.163 0.131 0.153 0.144 0.133 0.087
2001 0.299 0.170 0.193 0.212 0.159 0.129 0.154 0.143 0.126 0.083
2002 0.297 0.170 0.200 0.211 0.153 0.128 0.152 0.143 0.124 0.083
2003 0.296 0.166 0.183 0.208 0.146 0.126 0.149 0.142 0.128 0.078
2004 0.291 0.167 0.178 0.206 0.142 0.126 0.146 0.141 0.135 0.078
2005 0.285 0.164 0.184 0.202 0.133 0.123 0.138 0.138 0.131 0.076
2006 0.279 0.157 0.184 0.196 0.130 0.119 0.131 0.136 0.127 0.073
2007 0.277 0.157 0.181 0.193 0.120 0.120 0.129 0.134 0.121 0.078
2008 0.268 0.160 0.184 0.188 0.123 0.120 0.126 0.131 0.120 0.086
2009 0.265 0.162 0.192 0.187 0.131 0.123 0.131 0.134 0.114 0.087
2010 0.266 0.165 0.188 0.186 0.128 0.126 0.128 0.130 0.114 0.085
2011 0.259 0.166 0.181 0.182 0.128 0.129 0.128 0.126 0.114 0.086
2012 0.260 0.173 0.186 0.180 0.123 0.128 0.128 0.123 0.116 0.086
2013 0.255 0.169 0.190 0.177 0.122 0.129 0.129 0.122 0.116 0.083
2014 0.254 0.174 0.188 0.175 0.123 0.129 0.124 0.121 0.113 0.081
2015 0.252 0.175 0.183 0.174 0.124 0.127 0.123 0.121 0.114 0.082
2016 0.249 0.177 0.170 0.171 0.129 0.127 0.123 0.121 0.106 0.082
2020 0.229 0.171 0.163 0.153 0.122 0.116 0.109 0.106 0.097 0.072
2025 0.191 0.158 0.151 0.130 0.112 0.103 0.092 0.089 0.086 0.064
2030 0.157 0.137 0.130 0.108 0.098 0.089 0.077 0.073 0.072 0.057
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Note: Global transport GDP intensity is measured as transport final energy consumption per unit of gross global product. National Transport GDP intensity is measured in the same way, but per unit of gross domestic product.
Note: Countries covered are IEA countries plus Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa.
Intensity Energy use Activity (pkm) 2002 100 100 100 2003 96.24596551 99.58334646 103.4675541 2004 89.7834083 105.9951315 118.0564801 2005 86.21711792 109.9276931 127.5010064 2006 82.03986328 111.1272593 135.4551981 2007 76.41955192 113.9916399 149.1655435 2008 74.14054884 112.8015226 152.1455187 2009 70.95206989 106.8135903 150.543304 2010 68.98438484 112.1117495 162.5175752 2011 66.5924257 115.3432892 173.2078206 2012 64.39 117.49 182.47 2013 62.38 120.08 192.50 2014 60.74 123.92 204.00 2015 59.43 130.33 219.30
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2005 2010 2015 2017 Canada 0.00 0.13 0.33 0.45 US 0.59 0.60 0.62 0.66 Mexico 0.00 0.00 0.09 0.16 China 0.01 0.13 0.44 0.54 India 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02 Indonesia 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 Brazil 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 South Africa 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.03 Germany 0.00 0.08 0.27 0.35 France 0.00 0.06 0.23 0.29 Japan 0.40 0.52 0.62 0.68 Korea 0.00 0.06 0.15 0.20 World 0.21 0.21 0.27 0.32
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Historical and future change in global passenger car energy use without standards and if best-in-class fuel economy standards had been implemented
Change in passenger car energy use Without standards 1.23 Implementing best-in-class standards -2.23
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Change in passenger car energy use Implementing no new policies (CPS) 4.20 Efficient World Scenario -4.30
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2000 2005 2010 2015 2017 Canada 0 0.51 2.7 7.75 10.3 US 0 0.4 2.02 6 8.78 Mexico 0 0 0.21 3.1 5.04 China 0 0.29 1.26 3.72 5.04 India 0 0 0.27 0.77 0.99 Germany 0 0.79 3.04 7.1 9.04 France 0 0.61 2.42 5.81 7.97 UK 0 0.74 2.57 6.93 9.47 Japan 0.00 1.00 3.75 8.49 10.86 Korea 0.00 0.10 1.55 4.51 5.59 World 0 0.33 1.31 3.31 4.6
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Total Other Rail Shipping Aviation Road freight vehicles Passenger road vehicles
2000 5.742 0.138 0.100 0.612 0.675 1.600 2.617
2001 5.771 0.139 0.097 0.587 0.658 1.619 2.671
2002 5.909 0.145 0.100 0.603 0.665 1.648 2.749
2003 6.041 0.150 0.105 0.621 0.661 1.703 2.801
2004 6.315 0.158 0.110 0.669 0.704 1.785 2.888
2005 6.447 0.161 0.116 0.691 0.730 1.830 2.919
2006 6.592 0.161 0.120 0.738 0.739 1.878 2.957
2007 6.797 0.172 0.118 0.776 0.757 1.950 3.023
2008 6.808 0.173 0.109 0.765 0.748 1.974 3.039
2009 6.676 0.148 0.095 0.737 0.710 1.956 3.028
2010 6.960 0.158 0.098 0.785 0.747 2.041 3.132
2011 7.077 0.161 0.109 0.791 0.768 2.093 3.156
2012 7.203 0.150 0.110 0.755 0.779 2.182 3.227
2013 7.340 0.158 0.106 0.761 0.797 2.210 3.308
2014 7.486 0.159 0.103 0.781 0.822 2.263 3.358
2015 7.682 0.159 0.100 0.799 0.861 2.291 3.472
2016 7.763 0.162 0.101 0.819 0.875 2.294 3.513
2025 7.632 0.151 0.070 0.811 0.825 2.299 3.476
2030 7.129 0.148 0.060 0.803 0.778 2.175 3.166
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Note: Other includes pipeline and non-specified transport.
Related resources
IEA publications on transport
Other resources
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