Japan vs USSR: Primary energy use by source
Japan
1,211 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
3,933 terawatt-hours
in 1984
Japan rank
5th
USSR rank
2nd
Primary energy use by source over time
- Japan
- USSR
How they compare
USSR currently reports 3,933 terawatt-hours against 1,211 terawatt-hours in Japan, a difference of 2,722 terawatt-hours.
That makes USSR's figure about 3.2 times Japan's.
Across all 20 years both countries report, USSR has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 5th and USSR ranks 2nd of 78 countries.
USSR has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 648.99 terawatt-hours | 3,594 terawatt-hours | 2,945 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1970s | 634.35 terawatt-hours | 3,891 terawatt-hours | 3,257 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1980s | 734.33 terawatt-hours | 3,938 terawatt-hours | 3,204 terawatt-hours | USSR |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy use by source, Japan or USSR?
- USSR, at 3,933 terawatt-hours against 1,211 terawatt-hours in Japan as of 1984.
- What is the difference in primary energy use by source between Japan and USSR?
- 2,722 terawatt-hours, with USSR ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and USSR?
- 20 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 1984.
- How do Japan and USSR rank globally for primary energy use by source?
- Japan ranks 5th and USSR ranks 2nd of 78 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 use by source. 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.