France vs United Kingdom: Primary energy use
France
2,507 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United Kingdom
1,748 terawatt-hours
in 2025
France rank
13th
United Kingdom rank
16th
Primary energy use over time
- France
- United Kingdom
How they compare
France currently reports 2,507 terawatt-hours against 1,748 terawatt-hours in United Kingdom, a difference of 759 terawatt-hours.
That makes France's figure about 1.4 times United Kingdom's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was United Kingdom ahead.
France ranks 13th and United Kingdom ranks 16th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, France averaged higher in 4 and United Kingdom in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,387 terawatt-hours | 2,373 terawatt-hours | 986.07 terawatt-hours | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 2,000 terawatt-hours | 2,520 terawatt-hours | 520.41 terawatt-hours | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 2,307 terawatt-hours | 2,386 terawatt-hours | 79.23 terawatt-hours | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 2,843 terawatt-hours | 2,595 terawatt-hours | 247.82 terawatt-hours | France |
| 2000s | 3,107 terawatt-hours | 2,636 terawatt-hours | 471.36 terawatt-hours | France |
| 2010s | 2,876 terawatt-hours | 2,250 terawatt-hours | 626.29 terawatt-hours | France |
| 2020s | 2,456 terawatt-hours | 1,814 terawatt-hours | 641.21 terawatt-hours | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy use, France or United Kingdom?
- France, at 2,507 terawatt-hours against 1,748 terawatt-hours in United Kingdom as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy use between France and United Kingdom?
- 759 terawatt-hours, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and United Kingdom?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do France and United Kingdom rank globally for primary energy use?
- France ranks 13th and United Kingdom ranks 16th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Primary energy use. 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.