China vs United States: Renewable electricity generation by source
China
1,135 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
464.39 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Renewable electricity generation by source over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 1,135 terawatt-hours against 464.39 terawatt-hours in United States, a difference of 670.61 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 2.4 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 43 shared years of data; in 1983 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 212 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United States in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0.3082 terawatt-hours | 0.3082 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1990s | 0.2476 terawatt-hours | 3.26 terawatt-hours | 3.01 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 5.63 terawatt-hours | 25.61 terawatt-hours | 19.98 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 202.67 terawatt-hours | 194.57 terawatt-hours | 8.1 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 817.22 terawatt-hours | 414.64 terawatt-hours | 402.57 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher renewable electricity generation by source, China or United States?
- China, at 1,135 terawatt-hours against 464.39 terawatt-hours in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in renewable electricity generation by source between China and United States?
- 670.61 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 43 years are reported by both, from 1983 to 2025.
- How do China and United States rank globally for renewable electricity generation by source?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 212 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026); Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Pinto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Renewable electricity generation 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.