Primary energy use in China
China: Primary energy use was 45,054 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
45,054 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
1st
of 219 countries
All-time high
45,054 terawatt-hours
in 2025
All-time low
1,463 terawatt-hours
in 1967
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Primary energy use 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 terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary energy use in China is 45,054 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 37.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use in China peaked at 45,054 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1,463 terawatt-hours, in 1967.
That places China 1st out of 219 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.
Primary energy use in China, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1,493 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 1,625 terawatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 1967 | 1,463 terawatt-hours | -10.0% |
| 1968 | 1,472 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 1,800 terawatt-hours | +22.3% |
| 1970 | 2,315 terawatt-hours | +28.6% |
| 1971 | 2,743 terawatt-hours | +18.5% |
| 1972 | 2,954 terawatt-hours | +7.7% |
| 1973 | 3,115 terawatt-hours | +5.4% |
| 1974 | 3,205 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 3,595 terawatt-hours | +12.2% |
| 1976 | 3,788 terawatt-hours | +5.4% |
| 1977 | 4,135 terawatt-hours | +9.1% |
| 1978 | 4,547 terawatt-hours | +10.0% |
| 1979 | 4,677 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 4,714 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 4,636 terawatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 1982 | 4,831 terawatt-hours | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 5,129 terawatt-hours | +6.2% |
| 1984 | 5,515 terawatt-hours | +7.5% |
| 1985 | 5,970 terawatt-hours | +8.2% |
| 1986 | 6,259 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 6,754 terawatt-hours | +7.9% |
| 1988 | 7,253 terawatt-hours | +7.4% |
| 1989 | 7,605 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 1990 | 7,691 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 8,094 terawatt-hours | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 8,518 terawatt-hours | +5.2% |
| 1993 | 9,161 terawatt-hours | +7.5% |
| 1994 | 9,724 terawatt-hours | +6.1% |
| 1995 | 9,981 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 10,543 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 1997 | 10,600 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 10,614 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 11,004 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 11,367 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 11,935 terawatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 2002 | 13,032 terawatt-hours | +9.2% |
| 2003 | 15,289 terawatt-hours | +17.3% |
| 2004 | 17,855 terawatt-hours | +16.8% |
| 2005 | 20,299 terawatt-hours | +13.7% |
| 2006 | 22,253 terawatt-hours | +9.6% |
| 2007 | 24,171 terawatt-hours | +8.6% |
| 2008 | 24,865 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 26,028 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2010 | 27,707 terawatt-hours | +6.5% |
| 2011 | 29,999 terawatt-hours | +8.3% |
| 2012 | 30,950 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 32,043 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 32,616 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 32,891 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 32,872 terawatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 34,050 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 35,589 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 36,677 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 37,624 terawatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 39,655 terawatt-hours | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 40,304 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 42,801 terawatt-hours | +6.2% |
| 2024 | 44,106 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 2025 | 45,054 terawatt-hours | +2.1% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 45,054 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 87.51 terawatt-hours, 514.8× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 45,054 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 56.44 terawatt-hours, 798.2× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary energy use 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 | +28.6% | 1,800 terawatt-hours | 2,315 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,571 terawatt-hours | 1,463 terawatt-hours | 1,800 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 3,507 terawatt-hours | 2,315 terawatt-hours | 4,677 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 5,867 terawatt-hours | 4,636 terawatt-hours | 7,605 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 9,593 terawatt-hours | 7,691 terawatt-hours | 11,004 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 18,709 terawatt-hours | 11,367 terawatt-hours | 26,028 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 32,539 terawatt-hours | 27,707 terawatt-hours | 36,677 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 41,591 terawatt-hours | 37,624 terawatt-hours | 45,054 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 primary energy use in China?
- Primary energy use in China was 45,054 terawatt-hours 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 primary energy use recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 45,054 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest primary energy use recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,463 terawatt-hours in 1967.
- How does China rank for primary energy use?
- China ranks 1st out of 219 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary energy use rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.0%. 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); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary energy use. 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.