China vs OECD (EI): Electricity generation
China
10,583 terawatt-hours
in 2025
OECD (EI)
11,740 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
OECD (EI) rank
1st
Electricity generation over time
- China
- OECD (EI)
How they compare
OECD (EI) currently reports 11,740 terawatt-hours against 10,583 terawatt-hours in China, a difference of 1,157 terawatt-hours.
That makes OECD (EI)'s figure about 1.1 times China's.
Across all 41 years both countries report, OECD (EI) has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and OECD (EI) ranks 1st of 214 countries.
OECD (EI) has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | OECD (EI) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 497.5 terawatt-hours | 7,006 terawatt-hours | 6,509 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 1990s | 942.23 terawatt-hours | 8,633 terawatt-hours | 7,691 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 2000s | 2,446 terawatt-hours | 10,511 terawatt-hours | 8,064 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 2010s | 5,836 terawatt-hours | 11,117 terawatt-hours | 5,281 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 2020s | 9,215 terawatt-hours | 11,357 terawatt-hours | 2,142 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation, China or OECD (EI)?
- OECD (EI), at 11,740 terawatt-hours against 10,583 terawatt-hours in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation between China and OECD (EI)?
- 1,157 terawatt-hours, with OECD (EI) 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?
- China ranks 1st and OECD (EI) ranks 1st 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.