China vs USSR: Fossil fuel consumption
China
9,401 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
4,936 terawatt-hours
in 1984
China rank
2nd
USSR rank
2nd
Fossil fuel consumption over time
- China
- USSR
How they compare
China currently reports 9,401 terawatt-hours against 4,936 terawatt-hours in USSR, a difference of 4,465 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 1.9 times USSR's.
Across all 20 years both countries report, USSR has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and USSR ranks 2nd of 79 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 | 175.53 terawatt-hours | 2,316 terawatt-hours | 2,140 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1970s | 751.66 terawatt-hours | 3,912 terawatt-hours | 3,160 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1980s | 940.16 terawatt-hours | 4,985 terawatt-hours | 4,045 terawatt-hours | USSR |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel consumption, China or USSR?
- China, at 9,401 terawatt-hours against 4,936 terawatt-hours in USSR as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel consumption between China and USSR?
- 4,465 terawatt-hours, with China 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?
- China ranks 2nd and USSR ranks 2nd of 79 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Fossil fuel consumption. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.