America was the world's biggest consumer of primary energy in 2009, using 2.18 billion tonnes of oil equivalent (TOE), according to BP's latest statistical review. This was 5% less than in 2008, and contributed to a recession-driven decline of 1.1% in the world's energy usage. China's energy consumption continued to grow last year, increasing by 8.7% to only 5m TOE less than America's. Since 1999, China has more than doubled its consumption. By contrast, America (like many other rich countries) used less energy last year than it did a decade earlier. But despite these trends, the average American still used four-and-a-half times as much energy last year as the typical person in China.