Electricity generation from oil in China
China: Electricity generation from oil was 89.55 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Electricity generation from oil in China, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
China recorded 89.55 terawatt-hours for electricity generation from oil in 2025. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 145.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from oil in China peaked at 89.55 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 12.12 terawatt-hours, in 2009.
China ranks 2nd of 214 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Electricity generation from oil in China, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 56.69 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 53.68 terawatt-hours | -5.3% |
| 1987 | 54.64 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 60.34 terawatt-hours | +10.4% |
| 1989 | 57.63 terawatt-hours | -4.5% |
| 1990 | 50.37 terawatt-hours | -12.6% |
| 1991 | 51.92 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 53.21 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 65.45 terawatt-hours | +23.0% |
| 1994 | 48.2 terawatt-hours | -26.4% |
| 1995 | 55.09 terawatt-hours | +14.3% |
| 1996 | 50.35 terawatt-hours | -8.6% |
| 1997 | 47.12 terawatt-hours | -6.4% |
| 1998 | 53.39 terawatt-hours | +13.3% |
| 1999 | 50.26 terawatt-hours | -5.9% |
| 2000 | 47.27 terawatt-hours | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 48.52 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 50.71 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 54.83 terawatt-hours | +8.1% |
| 2004 | 65.53 terawatt-hours | +19.5% |
| 2005 | 50.51 terawatt-hours | -22.9% |
| 2006 | 37.92 terawatt-hours | -24.9% |
| 2007 | 28.09 terawatt-hours | -25.9% |
| 2008 | 18.81 terawatt-hours | -33.0% |
| 2009 | 12.12 terawatt-hours | -35.6% |
| 2010 | 34.71 terawatt-hours | +186.4% |
| 2011 | 33.8 terawatt-hours | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 31.22 terawatt-hours | -7.6% |
| 2013 | 33 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 35.66 terawatt-hours | +8.1% |
| 2015 | 36.46 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 52.56 terawatt-hours | +44.2% |
| 2017 | 56.05 terawatt-hours | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 56.4 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 52.47 terawatt-hours | -7.0% |
| 2020 | 53.47 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 57.06 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 2022 | 69.93 terawatt-hours | +22.6% |
| 2023 | 76.97 terawatt-hours | +10.1% |
| 2024 | 88.88 terawatt-hours | +15.5% |
| 2025 | 89.55 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 89.55 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.57 terawatt-hours, 157.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- China's 89.55 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.49 terawatt-hours, 182.8× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Electricity generation from oil in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +186.4% | 12.12 terawatt-hours | 34.71 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 56.6 terawatt-hours | 53.68 terawatt-hours | 60.34 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1990s | 52.54 terawatt-hours | 47.12 terawatt-hours | 65.45 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.43 terawatt-hours | 12.12 terawatt-hours | 65.53 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.23 terawatt-hours | 31.22 terawatt-hours | 56.4 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.64 terawatt-hours | 53.47 terawatt-hours | 89.55 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 from oil in China?
- Electricity generation from oil in China was 89.55 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 oil recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 89.55 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from oil recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.12 terawatt-hours in 2009.
- How does China rank for electricity generation from oil?
- China ranks 2nd out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from oil rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 145.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 from oil. 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
Measured in terawatt-hours.