United States vs USSR: Coal production
United States
3,067 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
4,014 terawatt-hours
in 1984
United States rank
4th
USSR rank
2nd
Coal production over time
- United States
- USSR
How they compare
USSR currently reports 4,014 terawatt-hours against 3,067 terawatt-hours in United States, a difference of 947 terawatt-hours.
That makes USSR's figure about 1.3 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 84 shared years of data; in 1900 it was United States ahead.
United States ranks 4th and USSR ranks 2nd of 219 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 | 2,538 terawatt-hours | 137.37 terawatt-hours | 2,401 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1910s | 3,813 terawatt-hours | 179.2 terawatt-hours | 3,634 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1920s | 3,998 terawatt-hours | 131.62 terawatt-hours | 3,866 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1930s | 2,982 terawatt-hours | 613.73 terawatt-hours | 2,369 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1940s | 4,157 terawatt-hours | 952.38 terawatt-hours | 3,204 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1950s | 3,385 terawatt-hours | 2,153 terawatt-hours | 1,232 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1960s | 3,447 terawatt-hours | 3,242 terawatt-hours | 204.96 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1970s | 4,407 terawatt-hours | 3,728 terawatt-hours | 678.45 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1980s | 5,149 terawatt-hours | 4,040 terawatt-hours | 1,109 terawatt-hours | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal production, United States or USSR?
- USSR, at 4,014 terawatt-hours against 3,067 terawatt-hours in United States as of 1984.
- What is the difference in coal production between United States and USSR?
- 947 terawatt-hours, with USSR ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United States and USSR?
- 84 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 1984.
- How do United States and USSR rank globally for coal production?
- United States ranks 4th and USSR ranks 2nd of 219 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 Coal production. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.