SentientSuns.com

Where is humanity on the Kardashev scale?

In 2024, humanity used about 20.2 terawatts of power on average — a Kardashev rating of 0.731. The Sun puts out about 19 trillion times as much.

EIA (Mar 2026), IAU · data year 2024 · Method

Data year 2024 · Updated October 2026

Humanity sits at 0.731 on the Kardashev scale. On Carl Sagan's version of the scale, Type I is 1016 watts (1) and Type II is 1026 watts (2); the Sun's whole output rates 2.058. “Sentient sun” is Elon Musk's phrase for a star whose energy goes mostly into computing; it is an idea, not a forecast.

EIA (Mar 2026), IAU · data year 2024 · Method

The numbers

Humanity's average power20.2 TWEIA (Mar 2026) · data year 2024 · Method
Kardashev rating0.731computed from EIA (Mar 2026) · data year 2024 · Method
Humanity's power as a share of the Sun's output5.3 × 10−14 (about 1 part in 19 trillion)EIA (Mar 2026), IAU · data year 2024 · Method
Solar electricity on Earth, average238 GWEIA (Feb 2026) · data year 2024 · Method

Humanity's power, 1980–2024

Humanity's average power rose from 9.37 TW in 1980 to 20.2 TW in 2024, about 1.8% a year.

EIA (Mar 2026) · data year 2024 · Method

Show the numbers
YearAverage powerKardashev rating
19809.37 TW0.697
19819.27 TW0.697
19829.27 TW0.697
19839.38 TW0.697
19849.80 TW0.699
198510.1 TW0.700
198610.3 TW0.701
198710.7 TW0.703
198811.0 TW0.704
198911.3 TW0.705
199011.3 TW0.705
199111.3 TW0.705
199211.2 TW0.705
199311.3 TW0.705
199411.5 TW0.706
199511.8 TW0.707
199612.1 TW0.708
199712.1 TW0.708
199812.2 TW0.709
199912.4 TW0.709
200012.8 TW0.711
200112.9 TW0.711
200213.2 TW0.712
200313.7 TW0.714
200414.4 TW0.716
200514.9 TW0.717
200615.4 TW0.719
200715.8 TW0.720
200815.9 TW0.720
200915.8 TW0.720
201016.8 TW0.723
201117.3 TW0.724
201217.6 TW0.724
201317.9 TW0.725
201418.0 TW0.726
201518.0 TW0.726
201618.2 TW0.726
201718.4 TW0.726
201818.8 TW0.727
201919.1 TW0.728
202018.2 TW0.726
202119.2 TW0.728
202219.4 TW0.729
202319.8 TW0.730
202420.2 TW0.731

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