India vs United States: Primary direct energy consumption by source
India
3,029 terawatt-hours
in 2024
United States
9,949 terawatt-hours
in 2024
India rank
3rd
United States rank
1st
Primary direct energy consumption by source over time
- India
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 9,949 terawatt-hours against 3,029 terawatt-hours in India, a difference of 6,920 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States's figure about 3.3 times India's.
Across all 60 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
India ranks 3rd 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 | India | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 179.64 terawatt-hours | 7,085 terawatt-hours | 6,905 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1970s | 287.94 terawatt-hours | 9,449 terawatt-hours | 9,162 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1980s | 503.45 terawatt-hours | 8,918 terawatt-hours | 8,414 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1990s | 895.16 terawatt-hours | 9,715 terawatt-hours | 8,820 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 1,480 terawatt-hours | 10,726 terawatt-hours | 9,245 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 2,292 terawatt-hours | 9,889 terawatt-hours | 7,597 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2020s | 2,780 terawatt-hours | 9,750 terawatt-hours | 6,971 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, India or United States?
- United States, at 9,949 terawatt-hours against 3,029 terawatt-hours in India as of 2024.
- What is the difference in primary direct energy consumption by source between India and United States?
- 6,920 terawatt-hours, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and United States?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2024.
- How do India and United States rank globally for primary direct energy consumption by source?
- India ranks 3rd 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.