Consumption-based energy use per person in China
China: Consumption-based energy use per person was 28.1 kilowatt-hours in 2020. ▲ Rising
Consumption-based energy use per person in China, 1995–2020
Source: Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for consumption-based energy use per person in China is 28.1 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, consumption-based energy use per person in China peaked at 28.1 kilowatt-hours in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8.8 kilowatt-hours, in 1998.
China ranks 36th of 43 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.02 kilowatt-hours | 8.8 kilowatt-hours | 9.15 kilowatt-hours | 5 |
| 2000s | 12.46 kilowatt-hours | 9.37 kilowatt-hours | 17.1 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.99 kilowatt-hours | 18.8 kilowatt-hours | 25.5 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.1 kilowatt-hours | 28.1 kilowatt-hours | 28.1 kilowatt-hours | 1 |
Countries ranked near China
More energy & mining data for China
- Fuel imports 20.4% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 15.1% (2024)
- Ores and metals exports 1.5% (2024)
- Gas production 2,641 terawatt-hours (2025)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 1,865 kilowatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 2,641 terawatt-hours (2025)
- Gas production per person 1,865 kilowatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel exports 1.5% (2024)
- Electric power transmission and distribution losses 3.4% (2023)
- Share of dietary energy supply from carbohydrates vs. GDP per capita 59.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is consumption-based energy use per person in China?
- Consumption-based energy use per person in China was 28.1 kilowatt-hours in 2020, according to Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest consumption-based energy use per person recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 28.1 kilowatt-hours in 2020.
- What is the lowest consumption-based energy use per person recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.8 kilowatt-hours in 1998.
- How does China rank for consumption-based energy use per person?
- China ranks 36th out of 43 countries with data for 2020.
- Is consumption-based energy use per person 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 Consumption-based energy use per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Consumption-based (or trade-adjusted) energy use measures domestic energy use minus energy used to produce exported goods, plus energy used to produce imported goods. Measured in megawatt-hours.