China vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Energy use

China
2,851 kg of oil equivalent per capita
in 2023
Sub-Saharan Africa
479.78 kg of oil equivalent per capita
in 2023
China rank
36th
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
36th

Energy use over time

  • China
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
5001.0k1.5k2.0k2.5k3.0k199020062023

How they compare

China currently reports 2,851 kg of oil equivalent per capita against 479.78 kg of oil equivalent per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 2,371 kg of oil equivalent per capita.

That makes China's figure about 5.9 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.

Across all 34 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.

China ranks 36th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 36th of 176 countries.

China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China Sub-Saharan Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 827.17 kg of oil equivalent per capita 532.82 kg of oil equivalent per capita 294.36 kg of oil equivalent per capita China
2000s 1,296 kg of oil equivalent per capita 503.13 kg of oil equivalent per capita 793.26 kg of oil equivalent per capita China
2010s 2,158 kg of oil equivalent per capita 506.64 kg of oil equivalent per capita 1,651 kg of oil equivalent per capita China
2020s 2,654 kg of oil equivalent per capita 484.11 kg of oil equivalent per capita 2,170 kg of oil equivalent per capita China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher energy use, China or Sub-Saharan Africa?
China, at 2,851 kg of oil equivalent per capita against 479.78 kg of oil equivalent per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in energy use between China and Sub-Saharan Africa?
2,371 kg of oil equivalent per capita, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and Sub-Saharan Africa?
34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
How do China and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for energy use?
China ranks 36th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 36th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?
IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), published as Energy use (kg of oil equivalent per capita). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Energy use. Statizoid, drawing on IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA). Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://energy.statizoid.com/compare/energy-use-kg-of-oil-equivalent-per-capita/china/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Energy use (kg of oil equivalent per capita)
Unit
kg of oil equivalent per capita
Source
IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
223 places, 6,690 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

Energy use refers to use of primary energy before transformation to other end-use fuels, which is equal to indigenous production plus imports and stock changes, minus exports and fuels supplied to ships and aircraft engaged in international transport.