Originally Posted by Ironduke

Most of the drops in Germany and Denmark were through conservation. Italy, not sure, but their electricity consumption grew while oil consumption declined, no doubt due to better fuel efficiency.

Even if they grow more slowly than the US, they have consistent population and economic growth year to year. If overall energy use grows less than per capita growth, that's a per capita decline.

According to the EIA, estimated energy consumption in the United States fell from 360 million BTUs in per capita in 1978-1979 to 344 in 2006.