China vs United States: Global primary energy use by source
China
415.16 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
312.26 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Global primary energy use by source over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 415.16 terawatt-hours against 312.26 terawatt-hours in United States, a difference of 102.9 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 1.3 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 79 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and United States in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 terawatt-hours | 46.99 terawatt-hours | 46.99 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 80.91 terawatt-hours | 80.91 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 169.68 terawatt-hours | 169.68 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1990s | 4.65 terawatt-hours | 306.02 terawatt-hours | 301.37 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 22.27 terawatt-hours | 323.19 terawatt-hours | 300.92 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 124.68 terawatt-hours | 357.68 terawatt-hours | 233 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2020s | 345.57 terawatt-hours | 327.18 terawatt-hours | 18.39 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher global primary energy use by source, China or United States?
- China, at 415.16 terawatt-hours against 312.26 terawatt-hours in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in global primary energy use by source between China and United States?
- 102.9 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do China and United States rank globally for global primary energy use by source?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 79 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 Global primary energy use 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.