China vs USSR: Coal consumption
China
25,622 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
3,933 terawatt-hours
in 1984
China rank
1st
USSR rank
3rd
Coal consumption over time
- China
- USSR
How they compare
China currently reports 25,622 terawatt-hours against 3,933 terawatt-hours in USSR, a difference of 21,689 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 6.5 times USSR's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 20 shared years of data; in 1965 it was USSR ahead.
China ranks 1st and USSR ranks 3rd of 220 countries.
USSR has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,358 terawatt-hours | 3,594 terawatt-hours | 2,236 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1970s | 2,632 terawatt-hours | 3,891 terawatt-hours | 1,260 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1980s | 3,822 terawatt-hours | 3,938 terawatt-hours | 115.71 terawatt-hours | USSR |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal consumption, China or USSR?
- China, at 25,622 terawatt-hours against 3,933 terawatt-hours in USSR as of 2025.
- What is the difference in coal consumption between China and USSR?
- 21,689 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and USSR?
- 20 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 1984.
- How do China and USSR rank globally for coal consumption?
- China ranks 1st and USSR ranks 3rd of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Coal consumption. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.