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.
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
- Fuel imports 20.4% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 15.1% (2024)
- Ores and metals exports 1.5% (2024)
- Gas production 2,641 terawatt-hours (2025)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 1,865 kilowatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 2,641 terawatt-hours (2025)
- Gas production per person 1,865 kilowatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel exports 1.5% (2024)
- Electric power transmission and distribution losses 3.4% (2023)
- Share of dietary energy supply from carbohydrates vs. GDP per capita 59.5% (2023)
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.