China (People’s Republic of) vs United States: Annual change in primary energy use
China (People’s Republic of)
947.2 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
495.61 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China (People’s Republic of) rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Annual change in primary energy use over time
- China (People’s Republic of)
- United States
How they compare
China (People’s Republic of) currently reports 947.2 terawatt-hours against 495.61 terawatt-hours in United States, a difference of 451.59 terawatt-hours.
That makes China (People’s Republic of)'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 (People’s Republic of) ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 215 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China (People’s Republic of) averaged higher in 5 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China (People’s Republic of) | 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 (People’s Republic of) |
| 1990s | 339.9 terawatt-hours | 337.45 terawatt-hours | 2.45 terawatt-hours | China (People’s Republic of) |
| 2000s | 1,502 terawatt-hours | -70.58 terawatt-hours | 1,573 terawatt-hours | China (People’s Republic of) |
| 2010s | 1,065 terawatt-hours | 109.86 terawatt-hours | 955.1 terawatt-hours | China (People’s Republic of) |
| 2020s | 1,396 terawatt-hours | 13.28 terawatt-hours | 1,383 terawatt-hours | China (People’s Republic of) |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual change in primary energy use, China (People’s Republic of) or United States?
- China (People’s Republic of), 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 (People’s Republic of) and United States?
- 451.59 terawatt-hours, with China (People’s Republic of) ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China (People’s Republic of) and United States?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1966 to 2025.
- How do China (People’s Republic of) and United States rank globally for annual change in primary energy use?
- China (People’s Republic of) ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); 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.