Japan vs USSR: Coal consumption
Japan
1,211 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
3,933 terawatt-hours
in 1984
Japan rank
6th
USSR rank
3rd
Coal consumption over time
- Japan
- USSR
How they compare
USSR currently reports 3,933 terawatt-hours against 1,211 terawatt-hours in Japan, a difference of 2,722 terawatt-hours.
That makes USSR's figure about 3.2 times Japan's.
Across all 20 years both countries report, USSR has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 6th 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 | Japan | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 648.99 terawatt-hours | 3,594 terawatt-hours | 2,945 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1970s | 634.35 terawatt-hours | 3,891 terawatt-hours | 3,257 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1980s | 734.33 terawatt-hours | 3,938 terawatt-hours | 3,204 terawatt-hours | USSR |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal consumption, Japan or USSR?
- USSR, at 3,933 terawatt-hours against 1,211 terawatt-hours in Japan as of 1984.
- What is the difference in coal consumption between Japan and USSR?
- 2,722 terawatt-hours, with USSR ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and USSR?
- 20 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 1984.
- How do Japan and USSR rank globally for coal consumption?
- Japan ranks 6th 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.