Electricity production by source in China
China: Electricity production by source was 12.9% in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Electricity production by source in China, 1990–2021
Source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total.
Analysis
In 2021, electricity production by source in China stood at 12.9%. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
That represents a change of up 20.6% on the previous year and up 538.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity production by source in China peaked at 12.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1990.
That places China 62nd out of 208 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Electricity production by source in China, year by year
| Year | % of total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1991 | 0.0% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 0.0% | +57.0% |
| 1993 | 0.0% | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 0.1% | +219.0% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | +462.6% |
| 1996 | 0.2% | -50.4% |
| 1997 | 0.3% | +70.4% |
| 1998 | 0.2% | -5.2% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | -4.4% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | -6.7% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | -9.1% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | -6.3% |
| 2005 | 0.3% | +57.6% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | +24.7% |
| 2007 | 0.5% | +36.5% |
| 2008 | 0.8% | +59.2% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | +62.4% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | +31.6% |
| 2011 | 2.0% | +23.5% |
| 2012 | 2.6% | +30.8% |
| 2013 | 3.2% | +22.9% |
| 2014 | 3.6% | +11.5% |
| 2015 | 4.6% | +26.2% |
| 2016 | 6.0% | +30.6% |
| 2017 | 7.2% | +20.9% |
| 2018 | 8.6% | +19.0% |
| 2019 | 9.5% | +11.0% |
| 2020 | 10.7% | +12.1% |
| 2021 | 12.9% | +20.6% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 12.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.9%, 3.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 12.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.9%, 1.6× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Electricity production by source 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +462.6% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 1994 | +219.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 1.6% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.8% | 10.7% | 12.9% | 2 |
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 production by source in China?
- Electricity production by source in China was 12.9% in 2021, according to IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity production by source recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 12.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest electricity production by source recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1990.
- How does China rank for electricity production by source?
- China ranks 62nd out of 208 countries with data for 2021.
- Is electricity production by source rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 538.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity production by source. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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