Electricity demand in China
China: Electricity demand was 10,564 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Electricity demand in China, 2000–2025
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, electricity demand in China stood at 10,564 terawatt-hours. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.9% on the previous year and up 82.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity demand in China peaked at 10,564 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1,347 terawatt-hours, in 2000.
That places China 1st out of 214 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Electricity demand in China, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,347 terawatt-hours | — |
| 2001 | 1,472 terawatt-hours | +9.3% |
| 2002 | 1,646 terawatt-hours | +11.8% |
| 2003 | 1,903 terawatt-hours | +15.7% |
| 2004 | 2,197 terawatt-hours | +15.4% |
| 2005 | 2,494 terawatt-hours | +13.5% |
| 2006 | 2,859 terawatt-hours | +14.6% |
| 2007 | 3,271 terawatt-hours | +14.4% |
| 2008 | 3,483 terawatt-hours | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 3,703 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 4,194 terawatt-hours | +13.2% |
| 2011 | 4,700 terawatt-hours | +12.1% |
| 2012 | 4,977 terawatt-hours | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 5,420 terawatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 2014 | 5,783 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 5,802 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 6,120 terawatt-hours | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 6,591 terawatt-hours | +7.7% |
| 2018 | 7,151 terawatt-hours | +8.5% |
| 2019 | 7,487 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2020 | 7,762 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 8,520 terawatt-hours | +9.8% |
| 2022 | 8,836 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 9,439 terawatt-hours | +6.8% |
| 2024 | 10,070 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 2025 | 10,564 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 10,564 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.43 terawatt-hours, 543.7× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- China's 10,564 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 14.01 terawatt-hours, 754.0× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2,438 terawatt-hours | 1,347 terawatt-hours | 3,703 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,823 terawatt-hours | 4,194 terawatt-hours | 7,487 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 9,198 terawatt-hours | 7,762 terawatt-hours | 10,564 terawatt-hours | 6 |
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 electricity demand in China?
- Electricity demand in China was 10,564 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity demand recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 10,564 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity demand recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,347 terawatt-hours in 2000.
- How does China rank for electricity demand?
- China ranks 1st out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity demand rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 82.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity demand. 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
Measured in terawatt-hours.