Share of electricity production by source in China
China: Share of electricity production by source was 64.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of electricity production by source in China, 1990–2023
Source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total.
Analysis
In 2023, share of electricity production by source in China stood at 64.4%. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity production by source in China peaked at 82.8% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 64.4%, in 2023.
That places China 106th out of 208 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Share of electricity production by source in China, year by year
| Year | % of total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 79.6% | — |
| 1991 | 81.5% | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 82.4% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 81.7% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 80.3% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 79.5% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 81.1% | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 81.2% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 80.7% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 82.1% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 82.1% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 79.9% | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 80.9% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 82.7% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 81.5% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 81.7% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 82.5% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 82.8% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 80.3% | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 80.2% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 79.2% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 81.0% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 77.7% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 77.3% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 75.1% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 72.8% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 71.3% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 70.9% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 69.6% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 67.9% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 66.6% | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 66.2% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 64.8% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 64.4% | -0.6% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 64.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 78.6%, 82% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 64.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 80.4%, 80% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 81.0% | 79.5% | 82.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.5% | 79.9% | 82.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.3% | 67.9% | 81.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.5% | 64.4% | 66.6% | 4 |
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 electricity production by source in China?
- Share of electricity production by source in China was 64.4% in 2023, according to IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity production by source recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 82.8% in 2007.
- What is the lowest share of electricity production by source recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.4% in 2023.
- How does China rank for share of electricity production by source?
- China ranks 106th out of 208 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of electricity production by source rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity production by source. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).