Current commercial and non-commercial biomass use for energy is estimated at between 20 and 60 EJ/a representing about 6 to 17 percent of the world primary energy.  Most of the biomass is used in developing countries where it is likely to account for roughly one third of primary energy. As a comparison, the share of primary energy provided by biomass in industrialized countries is small and is estimated at about 3 percent or less. 

Global land availability estimates for energy crop production vary widely between 350 and 950 million hectares ( Alexandratos , 1995). An energy potential of about 37.4 EJ/a is estimate based on country specific biomass yield and an average land availability The worldwide technical biomass energy potential is then estimated at about 104 EJ/a corresponding to approximately one third of the global 320 EJ/a primary energy consumption of oil, gas and coal ( BP-Amoco 1999).