China vs USSR: Fossil fuel production by fuel
China
2,641 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
5,564 terawatt-hours
in 1984
China rank
5th
USSR rank
3rd
Fossil fuel production by fuel over time
- China
- USSR
How they compare
USSR currently reports 5,564 terawatt-hours against 2,641 terawatt-hours in China, a difference of 2,923 terawatt-hours.
That makes USSR's figure about 2.1 times China's.
Across all 85 years both countries report, USSR has been ahead every year.
China ranks 5th and USSR ranks 3rd of 216 countries.
USSR has averaged higher in every one of the 9 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | β |
| 1910s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | β |
| 1920s | 0 terawatt-hours | 1.73 terawatt-hours | 1.73 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1930s | 0 terawatt-hours | 16.82 terawatt-hours | 16.82 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1940s | 0 terawatt-hours | 38.67 terawatt-hours | 38.67 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1950s | 1.84 terawatt-hours | 140.47 terawatt-hours | 138.63 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1960s | 10.04 terawatt-hours | 1,194 terawatt-hours | 1,184 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1970s | 84.93 terawatt-hours | 2,713 terawatt-hours | 2,628 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1980s | 128.16 terawatt-hours | 4,782 terawatt-hours | 4,654 terawatt-hours | USSR |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel production by fuel, China or USSR?
- USSR, at 5,564 terawatt-hours against 2,641 terawatt-hours in China as of 1984.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel production by fuel between China and USSR?
- 2,923 terawatt-hours, with USSR ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and USSR?
- 85 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 1984.
- How do China and USSR rank globally for fossil fuel production by fuel?
- China ranks 5th and USSR ranks 3rd of 216 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) β 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.