Energy consumption in China for the first time surpassed the United States in 2010, according to the annual energy report published today by the British oil company BP.

According to data collected by the British group, the total energy consumption increased 5.6% last year worldwide, the largest increase since 1973, thanks to the global economic recovery from the recession caused by financial crisis.

According to the study, the increased demand for all forms of energy and in all regions. World energy consumption, which fell unusually in 2009 because of the crisis, “comfortably ” surpassed the top of 2008.

At the same time, “rising fossil fuel consumption suggests that global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) increased to the highest rate since 1969,” BP also observed.

The group notes that the growth demand was much stronger in emerging countries.

China’s energy demand increased by 11.2% in 2010, making the Asian giant the world’s largest consumer, ahead of the U.S., where demand increased by 3.7%. Last year, the world’s second largest economy accounted for more than 20% of total energy consumed in the world.

Oil remained the most consumed energy, but continued losing ground to other sources (gas, coal, nuclear, hydro and renewables). BP explained that the black gold last year covered 33.6% of global energy demand, a percentage that does not stop off for eleven years.

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