China vs United States: Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati)
China
39,443 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
21,677 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati) over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 39,443 terawatt-hours against 21,677 terawatt-hours in United States, a difference of 17,766 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 1.8 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 220 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United States in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,549 terawatt-hours | 15,225 terawatt-hours | 13,676 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1970s | 3,468 terawatt-hours | 18,679 terawatt-hours | 15,210 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1980s | 5,778 terawatt-hours | 18,510 terawatt-hours | 12,732 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1990s | 9,395 terawatt-hours | 21,116 terawatt-hours | 11,721 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 18,134 terawatt-hours | 22,995 terawatt-hours | 4,861 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 30,574 terawatt-hours | 21,731 terawatt-hours | 8,842 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 37,260 terawatt-hours | 21,107 terawatt-hours | 16,153 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel consumption, China or United States?
- China, at 39,443 terawatt-hours against 21,677 terawatt-hours in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel consumption between China and United States?
- 17,766 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do China and United States rank globally for fossil fuel consumption?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – 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. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and gas.