Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP per capita in China
China: Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP per capita was 28,100 kilowatt-hours in 2020. ▲ Rising
Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP per capita in China, 1995–2020
Source: Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita in China is 28,100 kilowatt-hours, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.2% on the previous year and up 49.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita in China peaked at 28,100 kilowatt-hours in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8,800 kilowatt-hours, in 1998.
That places China 36th out of 43 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP per capita in China, year by year
| Year | kilowatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 9,100 kilowatt-hours | — |
| 1996 | 9,140 kilowatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 8,890 kilowatt-hours | -2.7% |
| 1998 | 8,800 kilowatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 9,150 kilowatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 9,370 kilowatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 9,630 kilowatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 10,100 kilowatt-hours | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 11,000 kilowatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 2004 | 12,400 kilowatt-hours | +12.7% |
| 2005 | 12,800 kilowatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 13,200 kilowatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 14,100 kilowatt-hours | +6.8% |
| 2008 | 14,900 kilowatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2009 | 17,100 kilowatt-hours | +14.8% |
| 2010 | 18,800 kilowatt-hours | +9.9% |
| 2011 | 20,300 kilowatt-hours | +8.0% |
| 2012 | 20,900 kilowatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 21,700 kilowatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2014 | 21,900 kilowatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 22,000 kilowatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 21,100 kilowatt-hours | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 22,200 kilowatt-hours | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 25,500 kilowatt-hours | +14.9% |
| 2019 | 25,500 kilowatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 28,100 kilowatt-hours | +10.2% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 28,100 kilowatt-hours is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 53,100 kilowatt-hours, 53% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
- China's 28,100 kilowatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 21,150 kilowatt-hours, 1.3× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9,016 kilowatt-hours | 8,800 kilowatt-hours | 9,150 kilowatt-hours | 5 |
| 2000s | 12,460 kilowatt-hours | 9,370 kilowatt-hours | 17,100 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 21,990 kilowatt-hours | 18,800 kilowatt-hours | 25,500 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 28,100 kilowatt-hours | 28,100 kilowatt-hours | 28,100 kilowatt-hours | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
More energy & mining data for China
- 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)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 20.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita in China?
- Changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita in China was 28,100 kilowatt-hours in 2020, according to Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 28,100 kilowatt-hours in 2020.
- What is the lowest changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,800 kilowatt-hours in 1998.
- How does China rank for changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita?
- China ranks 36th out of 43 countries with data for 2020.
- Is changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 49.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Consumption-based (trade-adjusted) primary energy use measures domestic energy use minus energy used to produce exported goods, plus energy used to produce imported goods. Gross domestic product (GDP) is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.