China vs OECD (EI): Coal consumption by region
China
25,622 terawatt-hours
in 2025
OECD (EI)
6,808 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
OECD (EI) rank
1st
Coal consumption by region over time
- China
- OECD (EI)
How they compare
China currently reports 25,622 terawatt-hours against 6,808 terawatt-hours in OECD (EI), a difference of 18,814 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 3.8 times OECD (EI)'s.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was OECD (EI) ahead.
China ranks 1st and OECD (EI) ranks 1st of 78 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and OECD (EI) in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | OECD (EI) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,358 terawatt-hours | 10,163 terawatt-hours | 8,805 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 1970s | 2,632 terawatt-hours | 10,061 terawatt-hours | 7,429 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 1980s | 4,599 terawatt-hours | 12,085 terawatt-hours | 7,486 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 1990s | 7,385 terawatt-hours | 12,347 terawatt-hours | 4,962 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 2000s | 13,982 terawatt-hours | 13,137 terawatt-hours | 845.59 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2010s | 22,159 terawatt-hours | 11,292 terawatt-hours | 10,866 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 24,642 terawatt-hours | 7,472 terawatt-hours | 17,170 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal consumption by region, China or OECD (EI)?
- China, at 25,622 terawatt-hours against 6,808 terawatt-hours in OECD (EI) as of 2025.
- What is the difference in coal consumption by region between China and OECD (EI)?
- 18,814 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and OECD (EI)?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do China and OECD (EI) rank globally for coal consumption by region?
- China ranks 1st and OECD (EI) ranks 1st of 78 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Coal consumption by region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual coal consumption is measured in terawatt-hours.