Japan vs United States: Electricity generation from fossil fuels
Japan
693.04 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
2,576 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Japan rank
5th
United States rank
2nd
Electricity generation from fossil fuels over time
- Japan
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 2,576 terawatt-hours against 693.04 terawatt-hours in Japan, a difference of 1,883 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States's figure about 3.7 times Japan's.
Across all 41 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 5th and United States ranks 2nd of 214 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 444.26 terawatt-hours | 2,037 terawatt-hours | 1,593 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1990s | 608.99 terawatt-hours | 2,477 terawatt-hours | 1,868 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 738.15 terawatt-hours | 2,809 terawatt-hours | 2,071 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 874.63 terawatt-hours | 2,713 terawatt-hours | 1,838 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2020s | 735.62 terawatt-hours | 2,524 terawatt-hours | 1,788 terawatt-hours | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from fossil fuels, Japan or United States?
- United States, at 2,576 terawatt-hours against 693.04 terawatt-hours in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from fossil fuels between Japan and United States?
- 1,883 terawatt-hours, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United States?
- 41 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2025.
- How do Japan and United States rank globally for electricity generation from fossil fuels?
- Japan ranks 5th and United States 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.