China (People’s Republic of) vs Iran, Islamic Republic of: Fossil fuel supply by source
China (People’s Republic of)
4,419 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Iran, Islamic Republic of
2,563 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China (People’s Republic of) rank
4th
Iran, Islamic Republic of rank
5th
Fossil fuel supply by source over time
- China (People’s Republic of)
- Iran, Islamic Republic of
How they compare
China (People’s Republic of) currently reports 4,419 terawatt-hours against 2,563 terawatt-hours in Iran, Islamic Republic of, a difference of 1,856 terawatt-hours.
That makes China (People’s Republic of)'s figure about 1.7 times Iran, Islamic Republic of's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was China (People’s Republic of) ahead.
China (People’s Republic of) ranks 4th and Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 5th of 77 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China (People’s Republic of) averaged higher in 5 and Iran, Islamic Republic of in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China (People’s Republic of) | Iran, Islamic Republic of | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14.63 terawatt-hours | 8.91 terawatt-hours | 5.73 terawatt-hours | China (People’s Republic of) |
| 1970s | 84.93 terawatt-hours | 40.03 terawatt-hours | 44.9 terawatt-hours | China (People’s Republic of) |
| 1980s | 134.52 terawatt-hours | 91.27 terawatt-hours | 43.25 terawatt-hours | China (People’s Republic of) |
| 1990s | 180.03 terawatt-hours | 332.77 terawatt-hours | 152.74 terawatt-hours | Iran, Islamic Republic of |
| 2000s | 503.91 terawatt-hours | 959.69 terawatt-hours | 455.78 terawatt-hours | Iran, Islamic Republic of |
| 2010s | 1,993 terawatt-hours | 1,794 terawatt-hours | 199.11 terawatt-hours | China (People’s Republic of) |
| 2020s | 3,956 terawatt-hours | 2,437 terawatt-hours | 1,519 terawatt-hours | China (People’s Republic of) |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel supply by source, China (People’s Republic of) or Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- China (People’s Republic of), at 4,419 terawatt-hours against 2,563 terawatt-hours in Iran, Islamic Republic of as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel supply by source between China (People’s Republic of) and Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- 1,856 terawatt-hours, with China (People’s Republic of) ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China (People’s Republic of) and Iran, Islamic Republic of?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do China (People’s Republic of) and Iran, Islamic Republic of rank globally for fossil fuel supply by source?
- China (People’s Republic of) ranks 4th and Iran, Islamic Republic of ranks 5th of 77 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Fossil fuel supply by source. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.