Annual change in primary energy use in China
China: Annual change in primary energy use was 947.2 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
947.2 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 27.5%
World rank
1st
of 219 countries
All-time high
2,566 terawatt-hours
in 2004
All-time low
-162.17 terawatt-hours
in 1967
Years of data
60
1966–2025
Annual change in primary energy use in China, 1966–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, annual change in primary energy use in China stood at 947.2 terawatt-hours.
The figure is down 27.5% on the previous year and up 243.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in primary energy use in China peaked at 2,566 terawatt-hours in 2004 and was at its lowest, -162.17 terawatt-hours, in 1967.
China ranks 1st of 219 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual change in primary energy use in China, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 132.35 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1967 | -162.17 terawatt-hours | -222.5% |
| 1968 | 8.8 terawatt-hours | -105.4% |
| 1969 | 327.73 terawatt-hours | +3622.7% |
| 1970 | 514.99 terawatt-hours | +57.1% |
| 1971 | 428.57 terawatt-hours | -16.8% |
| 1972 | 211.13 terawatt-hours | -50.7% |
| 1973 | 160.47 terawatt-hours | -24.0% |
| 1974 | 90.38 terawatt-hours | -43.7% |
| 1975 | 389.89 terawatt-hours | +331.4% |
| 1976 | 193.24 terawatt-hours | -50.4% |
| 1977 | 346.53 terawatt-hours | +79.3% |
| 1978 | 412.57 terawatt-hours | +19.1% |
| 1979 | 129.36 terawatt-hours | -68.6% |
| 1980 | 36.79 terawatt-hours | -71.6% |
| 1981 | -77.95 terawatt-hours | -311.9% |
| 1982 | 195.6 terawatt-hours | -350.9% |
| 1983 | 297.34 terawatt-hours | +52.0% |
| 1984 | 386.67 terawatt-hours | +30.0% |
| 1985 | 454.32 terawatt-hours | +17.5% |
| 1986 | 289.51 terawatt-hours | -36.3% |
| 1987 | 495.42 terawatt-hours | +71.1% |
| 1988 | 498.98 terawatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 351.24 terawatt-hours | -29.6% |
| 1990 | 85.9 terawatt-hours | -75.5% |
| 1991 | 403.37 terawatt-hours | +369.6% |
| 1992 | 424.47 terawatt-hours | +5.2% |
| 1993 | 642.69 terawatt-hours | +51.4% |
| 1994 | 562.83 terawatt-hours | -12.4% |
| 1995 | 257.3 terawatt-hours | -54.3% |
| 1996 | 561.44 terawatt-hours | +118.2% |
| 1997 | 57.62 terawatt-hours | -89.7% |
| 1998 | 13.4 terawatt-hours | -76.7% |
| 1999 | 389.94 terawatt-hours | +2809.9% |
| 2000 | 363.77 terawatt-hours | -6.7% |
| 2001 | 567.64 terawatt-hours | +56.0% |
| 2002 | 1,097 terawatt-hours | +93.3% |
| 2003 | 2,256 terawatt-hours | +105.6% |
| 2004 | 2,566 terawatt-hours | +13.7% |
| 2005 | 2,443 terawatt-hours | -4.8% |
| 2006 | 1,955 terawatt-hours | -20.0% |
| 2007 | 1,918 terawatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 693.61 terawatt-hours | -63.8% |
| 2009 | 1,162 terawatt-hours | +67.6% |
| 2010 | 1,679 terawatt-hours | +44.4% |
| 2011 | 2,293 terawatt-hours | +36.5% |
| 2012 | 950.53 terawatt-hours | -58.5% |
| 2013 | 1,093 terawatt-hours | +15.0% |
| 2014 | 572.88 terawatt-hours | -47.6% |
| 2015 | 275.41 terawatt-hours | -51.9% |
| 2016 | -19.41 terawatt-hours | -107.0% |
| 2017 | 1,178 terawatt-hours | -6171.0% |
| 2018 | 1,538 terawatt-hours | +30.6% |
| 2019 | 1,089 terawatt-hours | -29.2% |
| 2020 | 947.23 terawatt-hours | -13.0% |
| 2021 | 2,030 terawatt-hours | +114.3% |
| 2022 | 649.48 terawatt-hours | -68.0% |
| 2023 | 2,497 terawatt-hours | +284.4% |
| 2024 | 1,306 terawatt-hours | -47.7% |
| 2025 | 947.2 terawatt-hours | -27.5% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 947.2 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5628 terawatt-hours, 1682.9× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 947.2 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.2174 terawatt-hours, 4357.9× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual change in primary energy use in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +6171.0% | -19.41 terawatt-hours | 1,178 terawatt-hours |
| 1969 | +3622.7% | 8.8 terawatt-hours | 327.73 terawatt-hours |
| 1999 | +2809.9% | 13.4 terawatt-hours | 389.94 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 76.68 terawatt-hours | -162.17 terawatt-hours | 327.73 terawatt-hours | 4 |
| 1970s | 287.71 terawatt-hours | 90.38 terawatt-hours | 514.99 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 292.79 terawatt-hours | -77.95 terawatt-hours | 498.98 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 339.9 terawatt-hours | 13.4 terawatt-hours | 642.69 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,502 terawatt-hours | 363.77 terawatt-hours | 2,566 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,065 terawatt-hours | -19.41 terawatt-hours | 2,293 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,396 terawatt-hours | 649.48 terawatt-hours | 2,497 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More energy & mining data for China
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 2.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fuel imports 20.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in primary energy use in China?
- Annual change in primary energy use in China was 947.2 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in primary energy use recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 2,566 terawatt-hours in 2004.
- What is the lowest annual change in primary energy use recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was -162.17 terawatt-hours in 1967.
- How does China rank for annual change in primary energy use?
- China ranks 1st out of 219 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual change in primary energy use rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 243.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change in primary energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Change in total energy supply relative to the previous year, measured in terawatt-hours.