Renewable Energy Consumption across Income Groups: A World Bank Data Analysis

Abstract

Renewable energy consumption varies markedly across countries and may reflect differences in economic development and national energy structures. This study examines cross-country variation in renewable energy consumption across World Bank income groups using 2022 World Development Indicators data. Renewable energy consumption is measured as the share of total final energy consumption derived from renewable sources. Descriptive statistics are used to characterize central tendency, dispersion, and cross-country heterogeneity, while choropleth maps illustrate the spatial distribution of renewable energy consumption. Differences among income groups are assessed using the Kruskal–Wallis test, followed by Dunn’s post-hoc comparisons with Bonferroni adjustment. The results show substantial heterogeneity in renewable energy consumption across countries and income groups. Low-income economies record the highest mean and median renewable energy shares, whereas high-income economies record comparatively lower shares. The Kruskal–Wallis test indicates statistically significant differences among income groups, and the post-hoc results show that several of the strongest contrasts involve high-income and low-income or lower-middle-income groups. The spatial analysis further illustrates uneven renewable energy consumption across geographic regions. These findings indicate that renewable energy reliance differs substantially across levels of economic development and should not be interpreted solely as evidence of modern energy transition. Policy responses should therefore distinguish between traditional and modern renewable energy use and account for differences in economic structure, institutional capacity, and national energy systems.