Abstract
Estimates of regional energy consumption and carbon emissions could be useful for agencies investigating the effects of regionally targeted investments and policy interventions. Using gasoline consumption in Saudi Arabia as a case study, we develop two approaches for estimating the regional variation in gasoline consumption in Saudi Arabia: a sector-specific approach and a generic econometrics-based approach. Our findings reveal that Riyadh and Makkah, which account for 60% of the nation’s population and economic activity, consume 58% of the country’s gasoline. In contrast, the Eastern Region accounts for 22% of economic activity but only 11% of gasoline consumption, in line with its population concentration of approximately 15%. Furthermore, the correlation between the sector-specific and generic econometrics-based approaches suggests that the latter may be a good proxy for estimating regional variations in energy consumption.
