China vs United States: Electricity demand
China
10,564 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
4,536 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Electricity demand over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 10,564 terawatt-hours against 4,536 terawatt-hours in United States, a difference of 6,028 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 2.3 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 26 shared years of data; in 2000 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 214 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United States in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2,438 terawatt-hours | 3,970 terawatt-hours | 1,533 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 5,823 terawatt-hours | 4,147 terawatt-hours | 1,675 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 9,198 terawatt-hours | 4,304 terawatt-hours | 4,894 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity demand, China or United States?
- China, at 10,564 terawatt-hours against 4,536 terawatt-hours in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity demand between China and United States?
- 6,028 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2025.
- How do China and United States rank globally for electricity demand?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 214 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Electricity demand. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.