China vs Japan: Direct primary energy consumption from fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables
China
1.1%
in 2024
Japan
2.0%
in 2024
China rank
24th
Japan rank
22nd
Direct primary energy consumption from fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables over time
- China
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 2.0% against 1.1% in China, a difference of 0.9%.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.9 times China's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 60 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Japan ahead.
China ranks 24th and Japan ranks 22nd of 80 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | Japan |
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.7% | 0.7% | Japan |
| 1980s | 0.0% | 3.4% | 3.4% | Japan |
| 1990s | 0.1% | 5.2% | 5.2% | Japan |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 5.3% | 5.0% | Japan |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 1.3% | 0.7% | Japan |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 1.4% | 0.4% | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher direct primary energy consumption from fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables, China or Japan?
- Japan, at 2.0% against 1.1% in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in direct primary energy consumption from fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables between China and Japan?
- 0.9%, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Japan?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2024.
- How do China and Japan rank globally for direct primary energy consumption from fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables?
- China ranks 24th and Japan ranks 22nd of 80 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 Direct primary energy consumption from fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured as a percentage of the total (direct) primary energy.