Electricity generation in China
China: Electricity generation was 10,583 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
10,583 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 4.9%
World rank
1st
of 214 countries
All-time high
10,583 terawatt-hours
in 2025
All-time low
410.69 terawatt-hours
in 1985
Years of data
41
1985–2025
Electricity generation in China, 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 in China is 10,583 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.9% on the previous year and up 82.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation in China peaked at 10,583 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 410.69 terawatt-hours, in 1985.
China ranks 1st of 214 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Electricity generation in China, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 410.69 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 449.53 terawatt-hours | +9.5% |
| 1987 | 497.27 terawatt-hours | +10.6% |
| 1988 | 545.21 terawatt-hours | +9.6% |
| 1989 | 584.81 terawatt-hours | +7.3% |
| 1990 | 621.2 terawatt-hours | +6.2% |
| 1991 | 677.55 terawatt-hours | +9.1% |
| 1992 | 753.94 terawatt-hours | +11.3% |
| 1993 | 811.59 terawatt-hours | +7.6% |
| 1994 | 927.8 terawatt-hours | +14.3% |
| 1995 | 1,007 terawatt-hours | +8.5% |
| 1996 | 1,081 terawatt-hours | +7.4% |
| 1997 | 1,136 terawatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 1,167 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 1,239 terawatt-hours | +6.2% |
| 2000 | 1,356 terawatt-hours | +9.4% |
| 2001 | 1,481 terawatt-hours | +9.2% |
| 2002 | 1,654 terawatt-hours | +11.7% |
| 2003 | 1,911 terawatt-hours | +15.5% |
| 2004 | 2,203 terawatt-hours | +15.3% |
| 2005 | 2,500 terawatt-hours | +13.5% |
| 2006 | 2,866 terawatt-hours | +14.6% |
| 2007 | 3,282 terawatt-hours | +14.5% |
| 2008 | 3,496 terawatt-hours | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 3,715 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 4,207 terawatt-hours | +13.3% |
| 2011 | 4,713 terawatt-hours | +12.0% |
| 2012 | 4,988 terawatt-hours | +5.8% |
| 2013 | 5,432 terawatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 2014 | 5,794 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 5,815 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 6,133 terawatt-hours | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 6,604 terawatt-hours | +7.7% |
| 2018 | 7,166 terawatt-hours | +8.5% |
| 2019 | 7,503 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2020 | 7,779 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 8,534 terawatt-hours | +9.7% |
| 2022 | 8,849 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 9,456 terawatt-hours | +6.9% |
| 2024 | 10,087 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 2025 | 10,583 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 10,583 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.43 terawatt-hours, 544.7× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- China's 10,583 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 13.73 terawatt-hours, 771.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 497.5 terawatt-hours | 410.69 terawatt-hours | 584.81 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1990s | 942.23 terawatt-hours | 621.2 terawatt-hours | 1,239 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,446 terawatt-hours | 1,356 terawatt-hours | 3,715 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,836 terawatt-hours | 4,207 terawatt-hours | 7,503 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 9,215 terawatt-hours | 7,779 terawatt-hours | 10,583 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 generation in China?
- Electricity generation in China was 10,583 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 recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 10,583 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity generation recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 410.69 terawatt-hours in 1985.
- How does China rank for electricity generation?
- China ranks 1st out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 82.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China 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. 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
Total electricity generated in each country or region, measured in terawatt-hours.