China vs United States: Primary direct energy consumption by source
China
8,964 terawatt-hours
in 2024
United States
9,949 terawatt-hours
in 2024
China rank
2nd
United States rank
1st
Primary direct energy consumption by source over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 9,949 terawatt-hours against 8,964 terawatt-hours in China, a difference of 985 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States's figure about 1.1 times China's.
Across all 60 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 79 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 175.53 terawatt-hours | 7,085 terawatt-hours | 6,909 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1970s | 751.66 terawatt-hours | 9,449 terawatt-hours | 8,698 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1980s | 1,045 terawatt-hours | 8,918 terawatt-hours | 7,873 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1990s | 1,830 terawatt-hours | 9,715 terawatt-hours | 7,885 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 3,648 terawatt-hours | 10,726 terawatt-hours | 7,078 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 6,435 terawatt-hours | 9,889 terawatt-hours | 3,455 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2020s | 8,477 terawatt-hours | 9,750 terawatt-hours | 1,273 terawatt-hours | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary direct energy consumption by source, China or United States?
- United States, at 9,949 terawatt-hours against 8,964 terawatt-hours in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in primary direct energy consumption by source between China and United States?
- 985 terawatt-hours, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2024.
- How do China and United States rank globally for primary direct energy consumption by source?
- China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 79 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Primary direct energy consumption by source. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Energy consumption is measured in terawatt-hours, in terms of direct primary energy. This means that fossil fuels include the energy lost due to inefficiencies in energy production.