China vs Russian Federation: Primary energy use
China
45,054 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Russian Federation
8,664 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
Russian Federation rank
5th
Primary energy use over time
- China
- Russian Federation
How they compare
China currently reports 45,054 terawatt-hours against 8,664 terawatt-hours in Russian Federation, a difference of 36,390 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 5.2 times Russian Federation's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 41 shared years of data; in 1985 it was Russian Federation ahead.
China ranks 1st and Russian Federation ranks 5th of 219 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and Russian Federation in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Russian Federation | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6,768 terawatt-hours | 9,666 terawatt-hours | 2,898 terawatt-hours | Russian Federation |
| 1990s | 9,593 terawatt-hours | 7,981 terawatt-hours | 1,612 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2000s | 18,709 terawatt-hours | 7,273 terawatt-hours | 11,437 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2010s | 32,539 terawatt-hours | 7,891 terawatt-hours | 24,648 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 41,591 terawatt-hours | 8,379 terawatt-hours | 33,211 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy use, China or Russian Federation?
- China, at 45,054 terawatt-hours against 8,664 terawatt-hours in Russian Federation as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy use between China and Russian Federation?
- 36,390 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Russian Federation?
- 41 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2025.
- How do China and Russian Federation rank globally for primary energy use?
- China ranks 1st and Russian Federation ranks 5th of 219 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.