Japan vs United States: Electricity generation
Japan
1,030 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
4,520 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Japan rank
5th
United States rank
2nd
Electricity generation over time
- Japan
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 4,520 terawatt-hours against 1,030 terawatt-hours in Japan, a difference of 3,490 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States's figure about 4.4 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 | 724.18 terawatt-hours | 2,835 terawatt-hours | 2,111 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1990s | 985.46 terawatt-hours | 3,539 terawatt-hours | 2,554 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 1,129 terawatt-hours | 3,947 terawatt-hours | 2,817 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 1,082 terawatt-hours | 4,098 terawatt-hours | 3,016 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2020s | 1,023 terawatt-hours | 4,275 terawatt-hours | 3,252 terawatt-hours | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation, Japan or United States?
- United States, at 4,520 terawatt-hours against 1,030 terawatt-hours in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation between Japan and United States?
- 3,490 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?
- 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. 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.