IEA: ASIA SET TO USE HALF OF WORLD'S ELECTRICITY BY 2025

Asia will for the first time use half of the world's electricity by 2025, even as Africa continues to consume far less than its share of the global population, according to a new forecast released by the International Energy Agency.

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Much of Asia's electricity use will be in China, a nation of 1.4 billion people whose share of global consumption will rise from a quarter in 2015 to a third by the middle of this decade, the Paris-based body said.

"China will be consuming more electricity than the European Union, United States and India combined," said Keisuke Sadamori, the IEA's director of energy markets and security.

By contrast, Africa - home to almost a fifth of world's nearly 8 billion inhabitants will account for just 3% of global electricity consumption in 2025.

"This and the rapidly growing population mean there is still a massive need for increased electrification in Africa," said Sadamori.