United States vs USSR: Primary direct energy consumption by source
United States
9,949 terawatt-hours
in 2024
USSR
4,936 terawatt-hours
in 1984
United States rank
1st
USSR rank
2nd
Primary direct energy consumption by source over time
- United States
- USSR
How they compare
United States currently reports 9,949 terawatt-hours against 4,936 terawatt-hours in USSR, a difference of 5,013 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States's figure about 2.0 times USSR's.
Across all 20 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
United States ranks 1st and USSR ranks 2nd of 79 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United States | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7,085 terawatt-hours | 2,316 terawatt-hours | 4,769 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1970s | 9,449 terawatt-hours | 3,912 terawatt-hours | 5,537 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1980s | 8,700 terawatt-hours | 4,985 terawatt-hours | 3,715 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, United States or USSR?
- United States, at 9,949 terawatt-hours against 4,936 terawatt-hours in USSR as of 2024.
- What is the difference in primary direct energy consumption by source between United States and USSR?
- 5,013 terawatt-hours, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United States and USSR?
- 20 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 1984.
- How do United States and USSR rank globally for primary direct energy consumption by source?
- United States ranks 1st and USSR ranks 2nd 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.