China vs Germany: Primary energy use by source
China
1,128 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Germany
133.68 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
Germany rank
3rd
Primary energy use by source over time
- China
- Germany
How they compare
China currently reports 1,128 terawatt-hours against 133.68 terawatt-hours in Germany, a difference of 994.32 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 8.4 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Germany ahead.
China ranks 1st and Germany ranks 3rd of 79 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and Germany in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0.0037 terawatt-hours | 0.0037 terawatt-hours | Germany |
| 1990s | 0.2476 terawatt-hours | 1.85 terawatt-hours | 1.6 terawatt-hours | Germany |
| 2000s | 5.63 terawatt-hours | 26.13 terawatt-hours | 20.5 terawatt-hours | Germany |
| 2010s | 202.67 terawatt-hours | 75.34 terawatt-hours | 127.33 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 815.97 terawatt-hours | 131.35 terawatt-hours | 684.62 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy use by source, China or Germany?
- China, at 1,128 terawatt-hours against 133.68 terawatt-hours in Germany as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy use by source between China and Germany?
- 994.32 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Germany?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do China and Germany rank globally for primary energy use by source?
- China ranks 1st and Germany ranks 3rd of 79 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Primary energy use by source. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.