China vs Iran: Fossil fuel production by fuel
China
2,641 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Iran
2,648 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
5th
Iran rank
4th
Fossil fuel production by fuel over time
- China
- Iran
How they compare
Iran currently reports 2,648 terawatt-hours against 2,641 terawatt-hours in China, a difference of 7 terawatt-hours.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Iran ahead.
China ranks 5th and Iran ranks 4th of 220 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and Iran in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Iran | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1910s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1920s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1930s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1940s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1950s | 1.84 terawatt-hours | 3.78 terawatt-hours | 1.95 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 1960s | 10.04 terawatt-hours | 18.98 terawatt-hours | 8.93 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 1970s | 84.93 terawatt-hours | 107.93 terawatt-hours | 22.99 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 1980s | 134.52 terawatt-hours | 91.27 terawatt-hours | 43.25 terawatt-hours | China |
| 1990s | 191.64 terawatt-hours | 333.75 terawatt-hours | 142.1 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 2000s | 513.35 terawatt-hours | 941.72 terawatt-hours | 428.37 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 2010s | 1,328 terawatt-hours | 1,830 terawatt-hours | 501.84 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 2020s | 2,286 terawatt-hours | 2,522 terawatt-hours | 235.43 terawatt-hours | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel production by fuel, China or Iran?
- Iran, at 2,648 terawatt-hours against 2,641 terawatt-hours in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel production by fuel between China and Iran?
- 7 terawatt-hours, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Iran?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do China and Iran rank globally for fossil fuel production by fuel?
- China ranks 5th and Iran ranks 4th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Fossil fuel production by fuel. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours. Excludes gas flared or recycled. Includes natural gas produced for Gas-to-Liquids transformation.