Fossil fuel consumption in China
China: Fossil fuel consumption was 9,401 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
9,401 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
2nd
of 80 countries
All-time high
9,401 terawatt-hours
in 2025
All-time low
129.06 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Fossil fuel consumption in China, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fossil fuel consumption in China is 9,401 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 42.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fossil fuel consumption in China peaked at 9,401 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 129.06 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
That places China 2nd out of 80 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fossil fuel consumption in China, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 129.06 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 165.8 terawatt-hours | +28.5% |
| 1967 | 163.69 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 179.03 terawatt-hours | +9.4% |
| 1969 | 240.04 terawatt-hours | +34.1% |
| 1970 | 332.05 terawatt-hours | +38.3% |
| 1971 | 451.58 terawatt-hours | +36.0% |
| 1972 | 519.7 terawatt-hours | +15.1% |
| 1973 | 633.98 terawatt-hours | +22.0% |
| 1974 | 729.07 terawatt-hours | +15.0% |
| 1975 | 804.08 terawatt-hours | +10.3% |
| 1976 | 919.19 terawatt-hours | +14.3% |
| 1977 | 971.04 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 1978 | 1,077 terawatt-hours | +10.9% |
| 1979 | 1,079 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 972.53 terawatt-hours | -9.9% |
| 1981 | 921.53 terawatt-hours | -5.2% |
| 1982 | 911.75 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 930.1 terawatt-hours | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 964.89 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 1,011 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 1986 | 1,074 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 1987 | 1,142 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 1988 | 1,229 terawatt-hours | +7.6% |
| 1989 | 1,288 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 1990 | 1,275 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 1,379 terawatt-hours | +8.2% |
| 1992 | 1,496 terawatt-hours | +8.5% |
| 1993 | 1,664 terawatt-hours | +11.2% |
| 1994 | 1,691 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 1,826 terawatt-hours | +8.0% |
| 1996 | 2,023 terawatt-hours | +10.8% |
| 1997 | 2,222 terawatt-hours | +9.8% |
| 1998 | 2,288 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 2,437 terawatt-hours | +6.5% |
| 2000 | 2,627 terawatt-hours | +7.8% |
| 2001 | 2,683 terawatt-hours | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 2,896 terawatt-hours | +7.9% |
| 2003 | 3,235 terawatt-hours | +11.7% |
| 2004 | 3,778 terawatt-hours | +16.8% |
| 2005 | 3,838 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 4,117 terawatt-hours | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 4,314 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 2008 | 4,408 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 4,580 terawatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 5,214 terawatt-hours | +13.8% |
| 2011 | 5,391 terawatt-hours | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 5,654 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 5,907 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 6,143 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 6,610 terawatt-hours | +7.6% |
| 2016 | 6,824 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 7,183 terawatt-hours | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 7,529 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 7,765 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 7,869 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 8,148 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 8,267 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 9,114 terawatt-hours | +10.2% |
| 2024 | 9,173 terawatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 9,401 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 9,401 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 275.53 terawatt-hours, 34.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- China's 9,401 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 633.03 terawatt-hours, 14.9× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fossil fuel consumption 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | +38.3% | 240.04 terawatt-hours | 332.05 terawatt-hours |
| 1971 | +36.0% | 332.05 terawatt-hours | 451.58 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 175.53 terawatt-hours | 129.06 terawatt-hours | 240.04 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 751.66 terawatt-hours | 332.05 terawatt-hours | 1,079 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,045 terawatt-hours | 911.75 terawatt-hours | 1,288 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,830 terawatt-hours | 1,275 terawatt-hours | 2,437 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,648 terawatt-hours | 2,627 terawatt-hours | 4,580 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 6,422 terawatt-hours | 5,214 terawatt-hours | 7,765 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,662 terawatt-hours | 7,869 terawatt-hours | 9,401 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 fossil fuel consumption in China?
- Fossil fuel consumption in China was 9,401 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fossil fuel consumption recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 9,401 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest fossil fuel consumption recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 129.06 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does China rank for fossil fuel consumption?
- China ranks 2nd out of 80 countries with data for 2025.
- Is fossil fuel consumption rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fossil fuel consumption. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.