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