China vs United States: Electricity generation from nuclear
China
487.61 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
784.78 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
2nd
United States rank
1st
Electricity generation from nuclear over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 784.78 terawatt-hours against 487.61 terawatt-hours in China, a difference of 297.17 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States's figure about 1.6 times China's.
Across all 61 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 208 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 terawatt-hours | 9.11 terawatt-hours | 9.11 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 153.42 terawatt-hours | 153.42 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 393.39 terawatt-hours | 393.39 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1990s | 8.7 terawatt-hours | 677.65 terawatt-hours | 668.95 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 46.16 terawatt-hours | 783.57 terawatt-hours | 737.41 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 178.13 terawatt-hours | 797.7 terawatt-hours | 619.57 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2020s | 427.44 terawatt-hours | 780.43 terawatt-hours | 352.99 terawatt-hours | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from nuclear, China or United States?
- United States, at 784.78 terawatt-hours against 487.61 terawatt-hours in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from nuclear between China and United States?
- 297.17 terawatt-hours, with United States 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 electricity generation from nuclear?
- China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 208 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Electricity generation from nuclear. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.