China vs United States of America: Primary energy use by source
China
415.16 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States of America
312.26 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
United States of America rank
2nd
Primary energy use by source over time
- China
- United States of America
How they compare
China currently reports 415.16 terawatt-hours against 312.26 terawatt-hours in United States of America, a difference of 102.9 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 1.3 times United States of America's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was United States of America ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States of America ranks 2nd of 80 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and United States of America in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 terawatt-hours | 46.99 terawatt-hours | 46.99 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 80.91 terawatt-hours | 80.91 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 169.68 terawatt-hours | 169.68 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1990s | 4.65 terawatt-hours | 306.02 terawatt-hours | 301.37 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2000s | 22.27 terawatt-hours | 323.19 terawatt-hours | 300.92 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2010s | 124.68 terawatt-hours | 357.68 terawatt-hours | 233 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2020s | 345.57 terawatt-hours | 327.18 terawatt-hours | 18.39 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy use by source, China or United States of America?
- China, at 415.16 terawatt-hours against 312.26 terawatt-hours in United States of America as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy use by source between China and United States of America?
- 102.9 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States of America?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do China and United States of America rank globally for primary energy use by source?
- China ranks 1st and United States of America ranks 2nd of 80 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Primary energy use by source. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.