China (People's Republic of) vs USSR: Fossil fuel supply by source
China (People's Republic of)
4,419 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
5,043 terawatt-hours
in 1984
China (People's Republic of) rank
4th
USSR rank
2nd
Fossil fuel supply by source over time
- China (People's Republic of)
- USSR
How they compare
USSR currently reports 5,043 terawatt-hours against 4,419 terawatt-hours in China (People's Republic of), a difference of 624 terawatt-hours.
That makes USSR's figure about 1.1 times China (People's Republic of)'s.
Across all 20 years both countries report, USSR has been ahead every year.
China (People's Republic of) ranks 4th and USSR ranks 2nd of 77 countries.
USSR has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China (People's Republic of) | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14.63 terawatt-hours | 1,481 terawatt-hours | 1,467 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1970s | 84.93 terawatt-hours | 2,712 terawatt-hours | 2,627 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1980s | 128.16 terawatt-hours | 4,348 terawatt-hours | 4,220 terawatt-hours | USSR |
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 USSR?
- USSR, at 5,043 terawatt-hours against 4,419 terawatt-hours in China (People's Republic of) as of 1984.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel supply by source between China (People's Republic of) and USSR?
- 624 terawatt-hours, with USSR ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China (People's Republic of) and USSR?
- 20 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 1984.
- How do China (People's Republic of) and USSR rank globally for fossil fuel supply by source?
- China (People's Republic of) ranks 4th and USSR ranks 2nd of 77 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) β 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.