China vs USSR: Annual change in primary energy use
China
947.2 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
-281.68 terawatt-hours
in 1991
China rank
1st
USSR rank
3rd
Annual change in primary energy use over time
- China
- USSR
How they compare
China currently reports 947.2 terawatt-hours against -281.68 terawatt-hours in USSR, a difference of 1,229 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 3.4 times USSR's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 26 shared years of data; in 1966 it was USSR ahead.
China ranks 1st and USSR ranks 3rd of 218 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and USSR in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 76.68 terawatt-hours | 352.18 terawatt-hours | 275.5 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1970s | 287.71 terawatt-hours | 466.48 terawatt-hours | 178.76 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1980s | 292.79 terawatt-hours | 535.1 terawatt-hours | 242.31 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1990s | 244.64 terawatt-hours | -245.24 terawatt-hours | 489.87 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 USSR?
- China, at 947.2 terawatt-hours against -281.68 terawatt-hours in USSR as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual change in primary energy use between China and USSR?
- 1,229 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and USSR?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 1966 to 1991.
- How do China and USSR rank globally for annual change in primary energy use?
- China ranks 1st and USSR ranks 3rd of 218 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.