IMF Working Papers

IMF Fossil Fuel Subsidies Data: 2023 Update

By Simon Black, Antung A. Liu, Ian W.H. Parry, Nate Vernon-Lin

August 24, 2023

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Format: Chicago

Simon Black, Antung A. Liu, Ian W.H. Parry, and Nate Vernon-Lin. IMF Fossil Fuel Subsidies Data: 2023 Update, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2023) accessed October 31, 2024

Disclaimer: IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary

This paper provides a comprehensive global, regional, and country-level update of: (i) efficient fossil fuel prices to reflect supply and environmental costs; and (ii) subsidies implied by charging below efficient fuel prices. Globally, fossil fuel subsidies were $7 trillion in 2022 or 7.1 percent of GDP. Explicit subsidies (undercharging for supply costs) have more than doubled since 2020 but are still only 18 percent of the total subsidy, while nearly 60 percent is due to undercharging for global warming and local air pollution. Differences between efficient prices and retail fuel prices are large and pervasive, for example, 80 percent of global coal consumption was priced at below half of its efficient level in 2022. Full fossil fuel price reform would reduce global carbon dioxide emissions to an estimated 43 percent below baseline levels in 2030 (in line with keeping global warming to 1.5-2oC), while raising revenues worth 3.6 percent of global GDP and preventing 1.6 million local air pollution deaths per year. Accompanying spreadsheets provide detailed results for 170 countries.

Subject: Energy subsidies, Environment, Expenditure, Fuel prices, Greenhouse gas emissions, Non-renewable resources, Prices

Keywords: Air emission fee, Caribbean, Climate change, East Asia, Efficient fuel prices, Energy price surge, Energy subsidies, Fossil fuel subsidies, Fuel prices, Global, Greenhouse gas emissions, IMF fossil fuel subsidies datum, Local air pollution mortality, Non-pricing reform, Non-renewable resources, North America, Price reform, Revenue gains, South Asia, Spreadsheet tools, Supply cost, Supply costs

Publication Details

  • Pages:

    32

  • Volume:

    ---

  • DOI:

    ---

  • Issue:

    ---

  • Series:

    Working Paper No. 2023/169

  • Stock No:

    WPIEA2023169

  • ISBN:

    9798400249006

  • ISSN:

    1018-5941

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