China vs USSR: Fossil fuel consumption
China
39,443 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
13,912 terawatt-hours
in 1984
China rank
1st
USSR rank
2nd
Fossil fuel consumption over time
- China
- USSR
How they compare
China currently reports 39,443 terawatt-hours against 13,912 terawatt-hours in USSR, a difference of 25,531 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 2.8 times USSR's.
Across all 20 years both countries report, USSR has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and USSR ranks 2nd of 214 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 | 1,549 terawatt-hours | 7,391 terawatt-hours | 5,843 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1970s | 3,468 terawatt-hours | 10,515 terawatt-hours | 7,047 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1980s | 4,891 terawatt-hours | 13,271 terawatt-hours | 8,381 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 39,443 terawatt-hours against 13,912 terawatt-hours in USSR as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel consumption between China and USSR?
- 25,531 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 1st and USSR ranks 2nd of 214 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.