China vs OECD (EI): Electricity generation from fossil fuels
China
6,175 terawatt-hours
in 2025
OECD (EI)
5,575 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
OECD (EI) rank
1st
Electricity generation from fossil fuels over time
- China
- OECD (EI)
How they compare
China currently reports 6,175 terawatt-hours against 5,575 terawatt-hours in OECD (EI), a difference of 600 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 1.1 times OECD (EI)'s.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 41 shared years of data; in 1985 it was OECD (EI) ahead.
China ranks 1st and OECD (EI) ranks 1st of 209 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and OECD (EI) in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | OECD (EI) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 394.59 terawatt-hours | 4,180 terawatt-hours | 3,786 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 1990s | 764.82 terawatt-hours | 5,112 terawatt-hours | 4,347 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 2000s | 1,988 terawatt-hours | 6,452 terawatt-hours | 4,465 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 2010s | 4,318 terawatt-hours | 6,457 terawatt-hours | 2,139 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 2020s | 5,868 terawatt-hours | 5,681 terawatt-hours | 186.35 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from fossil fuels, China or OECD (EI)?
- China, at 6,175 terawatt-hours against 5,575 terawatt-hours in OECD (EI) as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from fossil fuels between China and OECD (EI)?
- 600 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and OECD (EI)?
- 41 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2025.
- How do China and OECD (EI) rank globally for electricity generation from fossil fuels?
- China ranks 1st and OECD (EI) ranks 1st of 209 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Electricity generation from fossil fuels. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Electricity generation from coal, oil, and gas, measured in terawatt-hours.