China vs Saudi Arabia: Electricity generation from oil
China
89.55 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
156.84 terawatt-hours
in 2024
China rank
2nd
Saudi Arabia rank
1st
Electricity generation from oil over time
- China
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 156.84 terawatt-hours against 89.55 terawatt-hours in China, a difference of 67.29 terawatt-hours.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.8 times China's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 40 shared years of data; in 1985 it was China ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Saudi Arabia ranks 1st of 209 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and Saudi Arabia in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 56.6 terawatt-hours | 30.22 terawatt-hours | 26.38 terawatt-hours | China |
| 1990s | 52.54 terawatt-hours | 57.9 terawatt-hours | 5.36 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 41.43 terawatt-hours | 86.59 terawatt-hours | 45.16 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 2010s | 42.23 terawatt-hours | 159.18 terawatt-hours | 116.95 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 69.26 terawatt-hours | 154.83 terawatt-hours | 85.56 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from oil, China or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 156.84 terawatt-hours against 89.55 terawatt-hours in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from oil between China and Saudi Arabia?
- 67.29 terawatt-hours, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Saudi Arabia?
- 40 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2024.
- How do China and Saudi Arabia rank globally for electricity generation from oil?
- China ranks 2nd and Saudi Arabia ranks 1st of 209 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 oil. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.