UK electricity generation per person has returned to roughly late-1960s levels, according to an October analysis by Our World in Data. Its chart puts the 2003 peak at about 6,700 kilowatt-hours per person and the latest year at roughly 4,200, below the approximately 4,300 recorded in 1968. That is a fall of more than one-third from the peak.

The measure is domestic electricity generation divided by population. It is not a direct measure of each household’s bill, total energy use or electricity demand. The distinction matters because the UK now imports a larger share of its electricity than it did in 2010.

A long decline with a different supply mix

Our World in Data says the UK’s per-person generation peaked in 2003 and has fallen by more than a third since. The organization compares the latest figure with the late 1960s, while noting that electricity generation per person has grown by more than 50 percent globally this century.

Imports explain part, but not all, of the change. Net imports rose from 1 percent of UK electricity demand in 2010 to 9 percent in 2025. Some electricity consumed in the country is therefore generated elsewhere and does not appear in the UK generation total. Our World in Data also says the UK consumes less electricity than it used to, so the import shift is not a complete explanation.

Why less electricity is being generated

Deindustrialization is a common explanation: the economy has shifted away from manufacturing, which reduced industrial electricity use. Our World in Data cites International Energy Agency data showing industrial electricity consumption down about one-quarter since 2005. The same analysis says residential and commercial electricity use fell by a similar amount.

Efficiency improvements are another part of the picture. The article points to the move from incandescent bulbs to LEDs and appliance efficiency standards. Those changes can reduce electricity use even when the number of lights or appliances stays the same. The data insight does not assign a precise share of the overall decline to each cause, so it does not support treating deindustrialization or efficiency as the sole driver.

The import figures also complicate comparisons across decades. A lower domestic generation total can reflect both less consumption and a greater reliance on imported electricity. Looking only at generation per person would miss that change in supply. The figure also does not describe the UK’s electricity mix, peak demand or how electricity use varies by season.

What the 1960s comparison says

The comparison is about annual generation per person, not a claim that today’s grid, technology or economy resembles the 1960s. The latest value sits near the same level on a long historical chart, but the path between the two points includes decades of rising generation, a peak in 2003, greater imports and changes in how homes, businesses and industry use electricity.

Our World in Data credits UK government statistics and Ember for the underlying chart data. Its October 3 data insight frames the result as both a historical return and a modern supply story: the UK produces less electricity per person than at its peak, imports more than it did fifteen years ago, and uses less electricity in industry, homes and businesses.

The UK’s domestic generation per person is back near a 1960s level, but the change reflects several factors, including imports and lower consumption. The headline figure alone cannot say how much electricity people use or what caused each part of the decline.