Primary energy use in USSR
USSR: Primary energy use was 17,692 terawatt-hours in 1991. ▲ Rising
Primary energy use in USSR, 1965–1991
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
USSR recorded 17,692 terawatt-hours for primary energy use in 1991.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and up 32.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use in USSR peaked at 18,203 terawatt-hours in 1988 and was at its lowest, 6,758 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7,495 terawatt-hours | 6,758 terawatt-hours | 8,167 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 10,740 terawatt-hours | 8,567 terawatt-hours | 12,831 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 15,673 terawatt-hours | 13,106 terawatt-hours | 18,203 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 17,833 terawatt-hours | 17,692 terawatt-hours | 17,974 terawatt-hours | 2 |
Countries ranked near USSR
More energy & mining data for USSR
- Gas production per person 20,217 kilowatt-hours per person (1984)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 5,564 terawatt-hours (1984)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 20,217 kilowatt-hours per person (1984)
- Gas production 5,564 terawatt-hours (1984)
- Vegetable oil supply per person vs. GDP per capita 7.34 kilograms per year per capita (1991)
- Share of dietary energy derived from protein vs. GDP per capita 13.2% (1991)
- Share of dietary energy supply from fats vs. GDP per capita 26.4% (1991)
- Share of dietary energy supply from carbohydrates vs. GDP per capita 60.4% (1991)
- Gas reserves 45.31 trillion cubic meters (1991)
- Oil reserves 9.06 billion cubic meters (1991)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary energy use in USSR?
- Primary energy use in USSR was 17,692 terawatt-hours in 1991, 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 USSR?
- The highest recorded value was 18,203 terawatt-hours in 1988.
- What is the lowest primary energy use recorded in USSR?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,758 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does USSR rank for primary energy use?
- USSR ranks 2nd out of 3 groups with data for 1991.
- Is primary energy use rising or falling in USSR?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this USSR 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 — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.