China, People's Republic of vs Saudi Arabia: Fossil fuel consumption by fuel
China, People's Republic of
4,419 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
1,338 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China, People's Republic of rank
4th
Saudi Arabia rank
6th
Fossil fuel consumption by fuel over time
- China, People's Republic of
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
China, People's Republic of currently reports 4,419 terawatt-hours against 1,338 terawatt-hours in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 3,081 terawatt-hours.
That makes China, People's Republic of's figure about 3.3 times Saudi Arabia's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was China, People's Republic of ahead.
China, People's Republic of ranks 4th and Saudi Arabia ranks 6th of 216 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China, People's Republic of averaged higher in 4 and Saudi Arabia in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China, People's Republic of | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14.63 terawatt-hours | 8.99 terawatt-hours | 5.64 terawatt-hours | China, People's Republic of |
| 1970s | 84.93 terawatt-hours | 29.42 terawatt-hours | 55.51 terawatt-hours | China, People's Republic of |
| 1980s | 134.52 terawatt-hours | 183.08 terawatt-hours | 48.56 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 180.03 terawatt-hours | 394.68 terawatt-hours | 214.65 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 503.91 terawatt-hours | 630.75 terawatt-hours | 126.85 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 2010s | 1,993 terawatt-hours | 994.62 terawatt-hours | 998.22 terawatt-hours | China, People's Republic of |
| 2020s | 3,956 terawatt-hours | 1,198 terawatt-hours | 2,758 terawatt-hours | China, People's Republic of |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel consumption by fuel, China, People's Republic of or Saudi Arabia?
- China, People's Republic of, at 4,419 terawatt-hours against 1,338 terawatt-hours in Saudi Arabia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel consumption by fuel between China, People's Republic of and Saudi Arabia?
- 3,081 terawatt-hours, with China, People's Republic of ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China, People's Republic of and Saudi Arabia?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do China, People's Republic of and Saudi Arabia rank globally for fossil fuel consumption by fuel?
- China, People's Republic of ranks 4th and Saudi Arabia ranks 6th of 216 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) β 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.