China vs United States: Electricity generation
China
10,583 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
4,520 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Electricity generation over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 10,583 terawatt-hours against 4,520 terawatt-hours in United States, a difference of 6,063 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 2.3 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 41 shared years of data; in 1985 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 214 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United States in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 497.5 terawatt-hours | 2,835 terawatt-hours | 2,338 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1990s | 942.23 terawatt-hours | 3,539 terawatt-hours | 2,597 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 2,446 terawatt-hours | 3,947 terawatt-hours | 1,500 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 5,836 terawatt-hours | 4,098 terawatt-hours | 1,738 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 9,215 terawatt-hours | 4,275 terawatt-hours | 4,940 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation, China or United States?
- China, at 10,583 terawatt-hours against 4,520 terawatt-hours in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation between China and United States?
- 6,063 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 41 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2025.
- How do China and United States rank globally for electricity generation?
- China ranks 1st 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. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total electricity generated in each country or region, measured in terawatt-hours.