United States vs USSR: Annual change in primary energy from fossil fuels
United States
440.81 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
384.52 terawatt-hours
in 1984
United States rank
1st
USSR rank
2nd
Annual change in primary energy from fossil fuels over time
- United States
- USSR
How they compare
United States currently reports 440.81 terawatt-hours against 384.52 terawatt-hours in USSR, a difference of 56.29 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times USSR's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 19 shared years of data; in 1966 it was United States ahead.
United States ranks 1st and USSR ranks 2nd of 76 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, United States averaged higher in 1 and USSR in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United States | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 733.81 terawatt-hours | 342.4 terawatt-hours | 391.41 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1970s | 316.28 terawatt-hours | 443.83 terawatt-hours | 127.54 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1980s | -343.67 terawatt-hours | 286.71 terawatt-hours | 630.38 terawatt-hours | USSR |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual change in primary energy from fossil fuels, United States or USSR?
- United States, at 440.81 terawatt-hours against 384.52 terawatt-hours in USSR as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual change in primary energy from fossil fuels between United States and USSR?
- 56.29 terawatt-hours, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United States and USSR?
- 19 years are reported by both, from 1966 to 1984.
- How do United States and USSR rank globally for annual change in primary energy from fossil fuels?
- United States ranks 1st and USSR ranks 2nd of 76 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual change in primary energy from fossil fuels. 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.