New energy-efficient buildings contribute to a reduction in energy intensity. (credit: Mariano Mantel)

According to a report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the world is getting better, on average, at using energy to power its economic activity.

The latest numbers measure “global energy intensity” or the number of British thermal units used for every unit of gross domestic product (GDP) created. A falling energy intensity measurement doesn’t mean the world is using less energy in total—but it does mean that global economic activities are getting more efficient on the whole.

Specifically, the EIA says that global energy intensity has fallen by nearly one-third in the 25 years between 1990 and 2015. “Energy intensity has decreased in nearly all regions of the world,” the EIA says, in developed and developing countries alike.