China vs United States of America: Electricity generation from fossil fuels
China
6,175 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States of America
2,576 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
United States of America rank
2nd
Electricity generation from fossil fuels over time
- China
- United States of America
How they compare
China currently reports 6,175 terawatt-hours against 2,576 terawatt-hours in United States of America, a difference of 3,599 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 2.4 times United States of America's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 41 shared years of data; in 1985 it was United States of America ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States of America ranks 2nd of 214 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United States of America in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 394.59 terawatt-hours | 2,037 terawatt-hours | 1,642 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1990s | 764.82 terawatt-hours | 2,477 terawatt-hours | 1,712 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2000s | 1,988 terawatt-hours | 2,809 terawatt-hours | 821.76 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2010s | 4,318 terawatt-hours | 2,713 terawatt-hours | 1,605 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 5,868 terawatt-hours | 2,524 terawatt-hours | 3,344 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 United States of America?
- China, at 6,175 terawatt-hours against 2,576 terawatt-hours in United States of America as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from fossil fuels between China and United States of America?
- 3,599 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States of America?
- 41 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2025.
- How do China and United States of America rank globally for electricity generation from fossil fuels?
- China ranks 1st and United States of America ranks 2nd of 214 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.