China vs Iran: Fossil fuel consumption by fuel
China
4,419 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Iran
2,563 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
4th
Iran rank
5th
Fossil fuel consumption by fuel over time
- China
- Iran
How they compare
China currently reports 4,419 terawatt-hours against 2,563 terawatt-hours in Iran, a difference of 1,856 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 1.7 times Iran's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was China ahead.
China ranks 4th and Iran ranks 5th of 220 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 5 and Iran in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Iran | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14.63 terawatt-hours | 8.91 terawatt-hours | 5.73 terawatt-hours | China |
| 1970s | 84.93 terawatt-hours | 40.03 terawatt-hours | 44.9 terawatt-hours | China |
| 1980s | 134.52 terawatt-hours | 91.27 terawatt-hours | 43.25 terawatt-hours | China |
| 1990s | 180.03 terawatt-hours | 332.77 terawatt-hours | 152.74 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 2000s | 503.91 terawatt-hours | 959.69 terawatt-hours | 455.78 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 2010s | 1,993 terawatt-hours | 1,794 terawatt-hours | 199.11 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 3,956 terawatt-hours | 2,437 terawatt-hours | 1,519 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel consumption by fuel, China or Iran?
- China, at 4,419 terawatt-hours against 2,563 terawatt-hours in Iran as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel consumption by fuel between China and Iran?
- 1,856 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Iran?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do China and Iran rank globally for fossil fuel consumption by fuel?
- China ranks 4th and Iran ranks 5th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Fossil fuel consumption by fuel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.