According to the Energy Efficiency Atlas released by the Brazilian Energy Research Company (EPE), energy efficiency (measured with an ODEX indicator) improved by 14% in Brazil between 2005 and 2018. The ODEX indicator takes into account variations in energy consumption indicators and weighs them according to their respective share in energy consumption. Between 2005 and 2018, the ODEX indicator for industry only contracted by 7%, while the ODEX for transports and households decreased more rapidly (-18% and -21%, respectively).
Between 2001 and 2018, the Brazilian GDP and energy consumption evolved at the same rate (+2.3%/year), highlighting a strong correlation between energy consumption and economic growth. More specifically, over the 2001-2009 period, the GDP growth was faster than the energy consumption growth (3.3%/year and 2.8%/year), due to electricity rationing in the industry in 2011 and to the 2001 Energy Efficiency law that introduced minimum energy efficiency indexes for equipment. The 2009 global financial crisis had a limited impact on Brazil's GDP (-0.1%) but significantly impacted energy-intensive sectors such as metallurgy and mining, reducing energy demand by 3.5% in 2009 and improving the energy efficiency. Social policies implemented as of 2010 contributed to raise households' equipment rates and the average motorisation rate, contributing to a 5.1%/year increase in energy consumption over the 2010-2013 period, while the GDP rose by 4.1%/year, degrading the energy intensity. Yet, energy efficiency laws and measures were approved in 2010 and 2011. Since 2014, the energy intensity has increased due to the higher share of energy-intensive branches in the country's industrial sector and to a period of economic downturn.