Share of primary energy from hydropower in China
China: Share of primary energy from hydropower was 3.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
3.1%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
24th
of 80 countries
All-time high
3.5%
in 2020
All-time low
1.0%
in 1978
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Share of primary energy from hydropower in China, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of primary energy from hydropower in China stood at 3.1%.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary energy from hydropower in China peaked at 3.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 1978.
That places China 24th out of 80 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Share of primary energy from hydropower in China, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1.5% | — |
| 1966 | 1.4% | -6.5% |
| 1967 | 1.3% | -4.2% |
| 1968 | 1.6% | +17.3% |
| 1969 | 1.3% | -16.8% |
| 1970 | 1.0% | -19.6% |
| 1971 | 1.1% | +2.1% |
| 1972 | 1.1% | +5.2% |
| 1973 | 1.2% | +6.0% |
| 1974 | 1.3% | +10.0% |
| 1975 | 1.2% | -6.7% |
| 1976 | 1.2% | -3.8% |
| 1977 | 1.1% | -4.4% |
| 1978 | 1.0% | -14.8% |
| 1979 | 1.0% | +9.2% |
| 1980 | 1.2% | +19.0% |
| 1981 | 1.4% | +14.4% |
| 1982 | 1.5% | +9.0% |
| 1983 | 1.7% | +9.4% |
| 1984 | 1.6% | -6.6% |
| 1985 | 1.5% | -1.7% |
| 1986 | 1.5% | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 1.5% | -2.0% |
| 1988 | 1.5% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 1.6% | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 1.6% | +5.8% |
| 1991 | 1.5% | -6.5% |
| 1992 | 1.5% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | +8.0% |
| 1994 | 1.7% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 1.9% | +10.9% |
| 1996 | 1.8% | -6.6% |
| 1997 | 1.8% | +3.7% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 1.8% | -4.7% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | +9.5% |
| 2001 | 2.3% | +18.8% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 1.9% | -16.0% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 2.0% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 2.0% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 2.0% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 2.6% | +27.6% |
| 2009 | 2.4% | -7.7% |
| 2010 | 2.6% | +8.5% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -10.7% |
| 2012 | 2.8% | +21.5% |
| 2013 | 2.8% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | +14.5% |
| 2015 | 3.4% | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 3.4% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 3.5% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 3.3% | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 2.9% | -11.0% |
| 2024 | 3.1% | +7.4% |
| 2025 | 3.1% | -0.1% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 3.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.8%, 1.8× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- China's 3.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.3%, 2.4× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 5 |
| 1970s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.1% | 2.3% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 2.9% | 3.5% | 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 share of primary energy from hydropower in China?
- Share of primary energy from hydropower in China was 3.1% in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary energy from hydropower recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of primary energy from hydropower recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 1978.
- How does China rank for share of primary energy from hydropower?
- China ranks 24th out of 80 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of primary energy from hydropower rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary energy from hydropower. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Measured as a percentage of total energy supply.