Global primary energy use by source in China
China: Global primary energy use by source was 415.16 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
415.16 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 10.0%
World rank
1st
of 80 countries
All-time high
415.16 terawatt-hours
in 2025
All-time low
0 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Global primary energy use by source in China, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
China recorded 415.16 terawatt-hours for global primary energy use by source in 2025. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.
The figure is up 10.0% on the previous year and up 248.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, global primary energy use by source in China peaked at 415.16 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
China ranks 1st of 80 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Global primary energy use by source in China, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1967 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1968 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1969 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1970 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1971 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1972 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1973 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1974 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1975 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1976 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1977 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1978 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1979 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1980 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1982 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1983 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1984 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1985 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1987 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1988 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1989 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1990 | 0.5912 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1991 | 0.5912 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.08 terawatt-hours | +82.9% |
| 1993 | 1.12 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 2.16 terawatt-hours | +92.7% |
| 1995 | 9.9 terawatt-hours | +358.2% |
| 1996 | 5.41 terawatt-hours | -45.4% |
| 1997 | 9.01 terawatt-hours | +66.7% |
| 1998 | 8.27 terawatt-hours | -8.1% |
| 1999 | 8.4 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 8.45 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 8.5 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 8.47 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 8.44 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 8.42 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 16.93 terawatt-hours | +101.0% |
| 2006 | 22.49 terawatt-hours | +32.9% |
| 2007 | 30.7 terawatt-hours | +36.5% |
| 2008 | 46.05 terawatt-hours | +50.0% |
| 2009 | 64.27 terawatt-hours | +39.6% |
| 2010 | 55.13 terawatt-hours | -14.2% |
| 2011 | 62.44 terawatt-hours | +13.3% |
| 2012 | 71.23 terawatt-hours | +14.1% |
| 2013 | 84.98 terawatt-hours | +19.3% |
| 2014 | 101.3 terawatt-hours | +19.2% |
| 2015 | 119.13 terawatt-hours | +17.6% |
| 2016 | 143.53 terawatt-hours | +20.5% |
| 2017 | 173.8 terawatt-hours | +21.1% |
| 2018 | 199.28 terawatt-hours | +14.7% |
| 2019 | 235.96 terawatt-hours | +18.4% |
| 2020 | 275.3 terawatt-hours | +16.7% |
| 2021 | 313.38 terawatt-hours | +13.8% |
| 2022 | 331.3 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2023 | 360.86 terawatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 2024 | 377.4 terawatt-hours | +4.6% |
| 2025 | 415.16 terawatt-hours | +10.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 415.16 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.92 terawatt-hours, 216.6× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- China's 415.16 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 64.2 terawatt-hours, 6.5× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Global primary energy use 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 | +358.2% | 2.16 terawatt-hours | 9.9 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.65 terawatt-hours | 0.5912 terawatt-hours | 9.9 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.27 terawatt-hours | 8.42 terawatt-hours | 64.27 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 124.68 terawatt-hours | 55.13 terawatt-hours | 235.96 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 345.57 terawatt-hours | 275.3 terawatt-hours | 415.16 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 global primary energy use by source in China?
- Global primary energy use by source in China was 415.16 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest global primary energy use by source recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 415.16 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest global primary energy use by source recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does China rank for global primary energy use by source?
- China ranks 1st out of 80 countries with data for 2025.
- Is global primary energy use by source rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 248.5%. 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); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Global primary energy use by source. 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 of total energy supply.