Words by

Andie Sophia Fontaine

Photo by

Art Bicnick

Icelanders consume the most electricity per capita of any nation in the world, RÚV reports, according to new data from the World Economic Forum (WEF).

In 2017, Icelanders consumed an astounding 54.4 megawatts per hour. By comparison, the second place country, Norway, consumes 23.7 megawatts per hour per capita.

The WEF attributes this high rate of consumption to two factors: the low price of electricity, due to our abundance of geothermal and hydropower, and the prevalence of heavy industry in the country.

In point of fact, Icelanders have long topped per capita electricity consumption. Rather than look for ways to reduce our consumption, Iceland is preferring instead to seek other sources of electricity, such as wind power.