China vs United States: Number of people with and without electricity access
China
1.41 billion people
in 2024
United States
340.00 million people
in 2024
China rank
2nd
United States rank
3rd
Number of people with and without electricity access over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 1.41 billion people against 340.00 million people in United States, a difference of 1.07 billion people.
That makes China's figure about 4.1 times United States's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 3rd of 214 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.27 billion people | 294.37 million people | 976.66 million people | China |
| 2010s | 1.37 billion people | 320.31 million people | 1.05 billion people | China |
| 2020s | 1.41 billion people | 334.89 million people | 1.08 billion people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people with and without electricity access, China or United States?
- China, at 1.41 billion people against 340.00 million people in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in number of people with and without electricity access between China and United States?
- 1.07 billion people, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do China and United States rank globally for number of people with and without electricity access?
- China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 3rd of 214 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Data compiled from multiple sources by the World Bank – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people with and without electricity access. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Access to electricity means having an electricity source that can provide very basic lighting, and charge a phone or power a radio for 4 hours per day.