China vs United States: Oil consumption
China
9,401 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
10,118 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
2nd
United States rank
1st
Oil consumption over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 10,118 terawatt-hours against 9,401 terawatt-hours in China, a difference of 717 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 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 220 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 | 175.53 terawatt-hours | 7,085 terawatt-hours | 6,909 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1970s | 751.66 terawatt-hours | 9,449 terawatt-hours | 8,698 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1980s | 1,045 terawatt-hours | 8,918 terawatt-hours | 7,873 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1990s | 1,830 terawatt-hours | 9,717 terawatt-hours | 7,888 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 3,648 terawatt-hours | 10,726 terawatt-hours | 7,079 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 6,422 terawatt-hours | 9,889 terawatt-hours | 3,467 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2020s | 8,662 terawatt-hours | 9,823 terawatt-hours | 1,161 terawatt-hours | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher oil consumption, China or United States?
- United States, at 10,118 terawatt-hours against 9,401 terawatt-hours in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in oil consumption between China and United States?
- 717 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 oil consumption?
- China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Oil consumption. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours. Includes refined petroleum products and other liquid fuels.