Electricity generation from fossil fuels in Japan
Japan: Electricity generation from fossil fuels was 693.04 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
693.04 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
5th
of 214 countries
All-time high
977.56 terawatt-hours
in 2012
All-time low
410.45 terawatt-hours
in 1986
Years of data
41
1985–2025
Electricity generation from fossil fuels in Japan, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for electricity generation from fossil fuels in Japan is 693.04 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from fossil fuels in Japan peaked at 977.56 terawatt-hours in 2012 and was at its lowest, 410.45 terawatt-hours, in 1986.
That places Japan 5th out of 214 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Electricity generation from fossil fuels in Japan, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 411.24 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 410.45 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 434.17 terawatt-hours | +5.8% |
| 1988 | 467.18 terawatt-hours | +7.6% |
| 1989 | 498.25 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 1990 | 579.75 terawatt-hours | +16.4% |
| 1991 | 585.36 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 598.27 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 561.35 terawatt-hours | -6.2% |
| 1994 | 637.08 terawatt-hours | +13.5% |
| 1995 | 618.44 terawatt-hours | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 628.62 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 616.75 terawatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 614.74 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 649.54 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2000 | 679.52 terawatt-hours | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 664.28 terawatt-hours | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 690.17 terawatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 750.38 terawatt-hours | +8.7% |
| 2004 | 722.89 terawatt-hours | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 757.24 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 745.59 terawatt-hours | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 799.34 terawatt-hours | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 829.98 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 742.09 terawatt-hours | -10.6% |
| 2010 | 745.44 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 827.77 terawatt-hours | +11.0% |
| 2012 | 977.56 terawatt-hours | +18.1% |
| 2013 | 952.61 terawatt-hours | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 928.82 terawatt-hours | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 871.58 terawatt-hours | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 894.25 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 884.49 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 858.48 terawatt-hours | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 805.35 terawatt-hours | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 775 terawatt-hours | -3.8% |
| 2021 | 765.31 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 775.61 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 706.41 terawatt-hours | -8.9% |
| 2024 | 698.37 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 693.04 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 693.04 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.3 terawatt-hours, 161.2× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- Japan's 693.04 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.21 terawatt-hours, 96.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 444.26 terawatt-hours | 410.45 terawatt-hours | 498.25 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1990s | 608.99 terawatt-hours | 561.35 terawatt-hours | 649.54 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 738.15 terawatt-hours | 664.28 terawatt-hours | 829.98 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 874.63 terawatt-hours | 745.44 terawatt-hours | 977.56 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 735.62 terawatt-hours | 693.04 terawatt-hours | 775.61 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 2 United States 2,576 terawatt-hours compare
- 3 India 1,527 terawatt-hours compare
- 4 Russia 767.16 terawatt-hours compare
- 6 Saudi Arabia 444.82 terawatt-hours compare
- 7 South Korea 375.06 terawatt-hours compare
- 8 Iran 373.22 terawatt-hours compare
More energy & mining data for Japan
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.7535 % 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 19.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from fossil fuels in Japan?
- Electricity generation from fossil fuels in Japan was 693.04 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation from fossil fuels recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 977.56 terawatt-hours in 2012.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from fossil fuels recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 410.45 terawatt-hours in 1986.
- How does Japan rank for electricity generation from fossil fuels?
- Japan ranks 5th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from fossil fuels rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation from fossil fuels. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Electricity generation from coal, oil, and gas, measured in terawatt-hours.