United States vs USSR: Fossil fuel production by fuel
United States
10,737 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
5,564 terawatt-hours
in 1984
United States rank
1st
USSR rank
3rd
Fossil fuel production by fuel over time
- United States
- USSR
How they compare
United States currently reports 10,737 terawatt-hours against 5,564 terawatt-hours in USSR, a difference of 5,173 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States's figure about 1.9 times USSR's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 85 shared years of data; in 1900 it was United States ahead.
United States ranks 1st and USSR ranks 3rd of 220 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 9 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United States | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 109.78 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 109.78 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1910s | 191.01 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 191.01 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1920s | 370.08 terawatt-hours | 1.73 terawatt-hours | 368.35 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1930s | 675.33 terawatt-hours | 16.82 terawatt-hours | 658.5 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1940s | 1,228 terawatt-hours | 38.67 terawatt-hours | 1,189 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1950s | 2,827 terawatt-hours | 140.47 terawatt-hours | 2,687 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1960s | 4,951 terawatt-hours | 1,194 terawatt-hours | 3,758 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1970s | 5,481 terawatt-hours | 2,713 terawatt-hours | 2,768 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1980s | 4,881 terawatt-hours | 4,782 terawatt-hours | 98.83 terawatt-hours | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel production by fuel, United States or USSR?
- United States, at 10,737 terawatt-hours against 5,564 terawatt-hours in USSR as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel production by fuel between United States and USSR?
- 5,173 terawatt-hours, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United States and USSR?
- 85 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 1984.
- How do United States and USSR rank globally for fossil fuel production by fuel?
- United States ranks 1st and USSR ranks 3rd 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) 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.