Japan vs Saudi Arabia: Primary direct energy consumption by source
Japan
1,783 terawatt-hours
in 2024
Saudi Arabia
2,048 terawatt-hours
in 2024
Japan rank
6th
Saudi Arabia rank
5th
Primary direct energy consumption by source over time
- Japan
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 2,048 terawatt-hours against 1,783 terawatt-hours in Japan, a difference of 265 terawatt-hours.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.1 times Japan's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 60 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 6th and Saudi Arabia ranks 5th of 79 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 6 and Saudi Arabia in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,470 terawatt-hours | 233.09 terawatt-hours | 1,237 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1970s | 3,037 terawatt-hours | 287.84 terawatt-hours | 2,749 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1980s | 2,666 terawatt-hours | 502.85 terawatt-hours | 2,164 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1990s | 3,134 terawatt-hours | 711.5 terawatt-hours | 2,423 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2000s | 2,968 terawatt-hours | 1,119 terawatt-hours | 1,849 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2010s | 2,380 terawatt-hours | 1,891 terawatt-hours | 488.23 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2020s | 1,876 terawatt-hours | 1,925 terawatt-hours | 49.19 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary direct energy consumption by source, Japan or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 2,048 terawatt-hours against 1,783 terawatt-hours in Japan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in primary direct energy consumption by source between Japan and Saudi Arabia?
- 265 terawatt-hours, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Saudi Arabia?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2024.
- How do Japan and Saudi Arabia rank globally for primary direct energy consumption by source?
- Japan ranks 6th and Saudi Arabia ranks 5th 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.