Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP in China
China: Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP was 40,469 terawatt-hours in 2020. ▲ Rising
Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP in China, 1995–2020
Source: Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2020, changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp in China stood at 40,469 terawatt-hours. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is up 10.7% on the previous year and up 57.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp in China peaked at 40,469 terawatt-hours in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11,196 terawatt-hours, in 1998.
China ranks 1st of 43 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP in China, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 11,293 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1996 | 11,439 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 11,221 terawatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 11,196 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 11,723 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 12,098 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 12,515 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 13,140 terawatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 14,484 terawatt-hours | +10.2% |
| 2004 | 16,422 terawatt-hours | +13.4% |
| 2005 | 16,971 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 17,636 terawatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 18,918 terawatt-hours | +7.3% |
| 2008 | 20,186 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 23,316 terawatt-hours | +15.5% |
| 2010 | 25,770 terawatt-hours | +10.5% |
| 2011 | 27,986 terawatt-hours | +8.6% |
| 2012 | 28,891 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 30,255 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 30,583 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 30,895 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 29,795 terawatt-hours | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 31,496 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2018 | 36,464 terawatt-hours | +15.8% |
| 2019 | 36,557 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 40,469 terawatt-hours | +10.7% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 40,469 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,134 terawatt-hours, 12.9× the median. (5 countries reporting)
- China's 40,469 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,876 terawatt-hours, 14.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11,375 terawatt-hours | 11,196 terawatt-hours | 11,723 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 2000s | 16,569 terawatt-hours | 12,098 terawatt-hours | 23,316 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 30,869 terawatt-hours | 25,770 terawatt-hours | 36,557 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 40,469 terawatt-hours | 40,469 terawatt-hours | 40,469 terawatt-hours | 1 |
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 changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp in China?
- Changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp in China was 40,469 terawatt-hours in 2020, according to Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 40,469 terawatt-hours in 2020.
- What is the lowest changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,196 terawatt-hours in 1998.
- How does China rank for changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp?
- China ranks 1st out of 43 countries with data for 2020.
- Is changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 57.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP. 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
Consumption-based (trade-adjusted) primary energy use measures domestic energy use minus energy used to produce exported goods, plus energy used to produce imported goods. Gross domestic product (GDP) is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.