Japan vs United States of America: Fossil fuel consumption
Japan
3,923 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States of America
21,677 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Japan rank
6th
United States of America rank
2nd
Fossil fuel consumption over time
- Japan
- United States of America
How they compare
United States of America currently reports 21,677 terawatt-hours against 3,923 terawatt-hours in Japan, a difference of 17,754 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States of America's figure about 5.5 times Japan's.
Across all 61 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 6th and United States of America ranks 2nd of 220 countries.
United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,139 terawatt-hours | 15,225 terawatt-hours | 13,085 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1970s | 3,767 terawatt-hours | 18,679 terawatt-hours | 14,912 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1980s | 3,810 terawatt-hours | 18,510 terawatt-hours | 14,700 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1990s | 4,726 terawatt-hours | 21,116 terawatt-hours | 16,390 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2000s | 5,094 terawatt-hours | 22,995 terawatt-hours | 17,901 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2010s | 4,947 terawatt-hours | 21,731 terawatt-hours | 16,784 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2020s | 4,155 terawatt-hours | 21,107 terawatt-hours | 16,952 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel consumption, Japan or United States of America?
- United States of America, at 21,677 terawatt-hours against 3,923 terawatt-hours in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel consumption between Japan and United States of America?
- 17,754 terawatt-hours, with United States of America ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United States of America?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do Japan and United States of America rank globally for fossil fuel consumption?
- Japan ranks 6th 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 β 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.