China vs USSR: Oil production
China
2,513 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
7,126 terawatt-hours
in 1984
China rank
7th
USSR rank
2nd
Oil production over time
- China
- USSR
How they compare
USSR currently reports 7,126 terawatt-hours against 2,513 terawatt-hours in China, a difference of 4,613 terawatt-hours.
That makes USSR's figure about 2.8 times China's.
Across all 85 years both countries report, USSR has been ahead every year.
China ranks 7th and USSR ranks 2nd of 220 countries.
USSR has averaged higher in every one of the 9 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 terawatt-hours | 111.43 terawatt-hours | 111.43 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1910s | 0 terawatt-hours | 95.05 terawatt-hours | 95.05 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1920s | 0.014 terawatt-hours | 86.99 terawatt-hours | 86.98 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1930s | 1.76 terawatt-hours | 290.28 terawatt-hours | 288.52 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1940s | 3.56 terawatt-hours | 335.57 terawatt-hours | 332 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1950s | 13.85 terawatt-hours | 855.06 terawatt-hours | 841.21 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1960s | 130.22 terawatt-hours | 2,749 terawatt-hours | 2,618 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1970s | 816.72 terawatt-hours | 5,503 terawatt-hours | 4,686 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1980s | 1,233 terawatt-hours | 7,103 terawatt-hours | 5,870 terawatt-hours | USSR |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher oil production, China or USSR?
- USSR, at 7,126 terawatt-hours against 2,513 terawatt-hours in China as of 1984.
- What is the difference in oil production between China and USSR?
- 4,613 terawatt-hours, with USSR ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and USSR?
- 85 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 1984.
- How do China and USSR rank globally for oil production?
- China ranks 7th and USSR ranks 2nd 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.