China vs Iran: Oil production
China
2,513 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Iran
2,816 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
7th
Iran rank
6th
Oil production over time
- China
- Iran
How they compare
Iran currently reports 2,816 terawatt-hours against 2,513 terawatt-hours in China, a difference of 303 terawatt-hours.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.1 times China's.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Iran ahead.
China ranks 7th and Iran ranks 6th of 220 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and Iran in 10.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Iran | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0.0012 terawatt-hours | 0.0012 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 1910s | 0 terawatt-hours | 6.21 terawatt-hours | 6.21 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 1920s | 0.014 terawatt-hours | 48.4 terawatt-hours | 48.38 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 1930s | 1.76 terawatt-hours | 92.63 terawatt-hours | 90.86 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 1940s | 3.56 terawatt-hours | 183.74 terawatt-hours | 180.17 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 1950s | 13.85 terawatt-hours | 257.91 terawatt-hours | 244.06 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 1960s | 130.22 terawatt-hours | 1,142 terawatt-hours | 1,012 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 1970s | 816.72 terawatt-hours | 2,967 terawatt-hours | 2,150 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 1980s | 1,389 terawatt-hours | 1,252 terawatt-hours | 136.8 terawatt-hours | China |
| 1990s | 1,744 terawatt-hours | 2,105 terawatt-hours | 361.19 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 2000s | 2,059 terawatt-hours | 2,356 terawatt-hours | 297.25 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 2010s | 2,351 terawatt-hours | 2,288 terawatt-hours | 62.69 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 2,397 terawatt-hours | 2,330 terawatt-hours | 66.13 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher oil production, China or Iran?
- Iran, at 2,816 terawatt-hours against 2,513 terawatt-hours in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in oil production between China and Iran?
- 303 terawatt-hours, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Iran?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do China and Iran rank globally for oil production?
- China ranks 7th and Iran ranks 6th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Oil production. 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 crude oil, condensates, natural gas liquids, and other liquid fuels.