China vs USSR: Fossil fuel consumption by fuel
China
4,419 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
5,043 terawatt-hours
in 1984
China rank
3rd
USSR rank
3rd
Fossil fuel consumption by fuel over time
- China
- USSR
How they compare
USSR currently reports 5,043 terawatt-hours against 4,419 terawatt-hours in China, a difference of 624 terawatt-hours.
That makes USSR's figure about 1.1 times China's.
Across all 20 years both countries report, USSR has been ahead every year.
China ranks 3rd and USSR ranks 3rd of 219 countries.
USSR has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14.63 terawatt-hours | 1,481 terawatt-hours | 1,467 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1970s | 84.93 terawatt-hours | 2,712 terawatt-hours | 2,627 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1980s | 128.16 terawatt-hours | 4,348 terawatt-hours | 4,220 terawatt-hours | USSR |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel consumption by fuel, China or USSR?
- USSR, at 5,043 terawatt-hours against 4,419 terawatt-hours in China as of 1984.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel consumption by fuel between China and USSR?
- 624 terawatt-hours, with USSR ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and USSR?
- 20 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 1984.
- How do China and USSR rank globally for fossil fuel consumption by fuel?
- China ranks 3rd and USSR ranks 3rd of 219 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.