China vs South Korea: Primary energy from nuclear
China
1,470 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Korea
559.67 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
2nd
South Korea rank
5th
Primary energy from nuclear over time
- China
- South Korea
How they compare
China currently reports 1,470 terawatt-hours against 559.67 terawatt-hours in South Korea, a difference of 910.33 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 2.6 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Korea ahead.
China ranks 2nd and South Korea ranks 5th of 213 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and South Korea in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 1.68 terawatt-hours | 1.68 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 61.44 terawatt-hours | 61.44 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 1990s | 26.36 terawatt-hours | 210.09 terawatt-hours | 183.73 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2000s | 139.89 terawatt-hours | 405.39 terawatt-hours | 265.49 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2010s | 539.8 terawatt-hours | 455.59 terawatt-hours | 84.21 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 1,294 terawatt-hours | 529.39 terawatt-hours | 764.69 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy from nuclear, China or South Korea?
- China, at 1,470 terawatt-hours against 559.67 terawatt-hours in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy from nuclear between China and South Korea?
- 910.33 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Korea?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do China and South Korea rank globally for primary energy from nuclear?
- China ranks 2nd and South Korea ranks 5th of 213 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Primary energy from nuclear. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.