China vs United States: Annual change in primary energy use
China
947.2 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
495.61 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Annual change in primary energy use over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 947.2 terawatt-hours against 495.61 terawatt-hours in United States, a difference of 451.59 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 1.9 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 13 times across 60 shared years of data; in 1966 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 219 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 5 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 76.68 terawatt-hours | 759.26 terawatt-hours | 682.58 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1970s | 287.71 terawatt-hours | 401.5 terawatt-hours | 113.79 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1980s | 292.79 terawatt-hours | 111.41 terawatt-hours | 181.38 terawatt-hours | China |
| 1990s | 339.9 terawatt-hours | 337.45 terawatt-hours | 2.45 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2000s | 1,502 terawatt-hours | -70.58 terawatt-hours | 1,573 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2010s | 1,065 terawatt-hours | 109.86 terawatt-hours | 955.1 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 1,396 terawatt-hours | 13.28 terawatt-hours | 1,383 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual change in primary energy use, China or United States?
- China, at 947.2 terawatt-hours against 495.61 terawatt-hours in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual change in primary energy use between China and United States?
- 451.59 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1966 to 2025.
- How do China and United States rank globally for annual change in primary energy use?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 219 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual change in primary energy use. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Change in total energy supply relative to the previous year, measured in terawatt-hours.