Production-based vs. consumption-based energy use in China
China: Production-based vs. consumption-based energy use was 40,469 terawatt-hours in 2020. ▲ Rising
Production-based vs. consumption-based energy use in China, 1995–2020
Source: Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for production-based vs. consumption-based energy use in China is 40,469 terawatt-hours, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.7% on the previous year and up 57.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, production-based vs. consumption-based energy use in China peaked at 40,469 terawatt-hours in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11,196 terawatt-hours, in 1998.
China ranks 1st of 43 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Production-based vs. consumption-based energy use in China, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 11,293 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1996 | 11,439 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 11,221 terawatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 11,196 terawatt-hours | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 11,723 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 12,098 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 12,515 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 13,140 terawatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 14,484 terawatt-hours | +10.2% |
| 2004 | 16,422 terawatt-hours | +13.4% |
| 2005 | 16,971 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 17,636 terawatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 18,918 terawatt-hours | +7.3% |
| 2008 | 20,186 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 23,316 terawatt-hours | +15.5% |
| 2010 | 25,770 terawatt-hours | +10.5% |
| 2011 | 27,986 terawatt-hours | +8.6% |
| 2012 | 28,891 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 30,255 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 30,583 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 30,895 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 29,795 terawatt-hours | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 31,496 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2018 | 36,464 terawatt-hours | +15.8% |
| 2019 | 36,557 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 40,469 terawatt-hours | +10.7% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 40,469 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,134 terawatt-hours, 12.9× the median. (5 countries reporting)
- China's 40,469 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,876 terawatt-hours, 14.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11,375 terawatt-hours | 11,196 terawatt-hours | 11,723 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 2000s | 16,569 terawatt-hours | 12,098 terawatt-hours | 23,316 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 30,869 terawatt-hours | 25,770 terawatt-hours | 36,557 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 40,469 terawatt-hours | 40,469 terawatt-hours | 40,469 terawatt-hours | 1 |
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 production-based vs. consumption-based energy use in China?
- Production-based vs. consumption-based energy use in China was 40,469 terawatt-hours in 2020, according to Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest production-based vs. consumption-based energy use recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 40,469 terawatt-hours in 2020.
- What is the lowest production-based vs. consumption-based energy use recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,196 terawatt-hours in 1998.
- How does China rank for production-based vs. consumption-based energy use?
- China ranks 1st out of 43 countries with data for 2020.
- Is production-based vs. consumption-based energy use rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 57.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Production-based vs. consumption-based energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Consumption-based (trade-adjusted) energy use measures domestic energy use minus energy used to produce exported goods, plus energy used to produce imported goods. Measured in terawatt-hours.