China vs OECD (EI): Year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs.
China
632.58 terawatt-hours
in 2025
OECD (EI)
142.15 terawatt-hours
in 2025
China rank
1st
OECD (EI) rank
1st
Year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. over time
- China
- OECD (EI)
How they compare
China currently reports 632.58 terawatt-hours against 142.15 terawatt-hours in OECD (EI), a difference of 490.43 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 4.5 times OECD (EI)'s.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 60 shared years of data; in 1966 it was OECD (EI) ahead.
China ranks 1st and OECD (EI) ranks 1st of 80 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and OECD (EI) in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | OECD (EI) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2906 terawatt-hours | 60.81 terawatt-hours | 60.52 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 1970s | 2.53 terawatt-hours | 193.83 terawatt-hours | 191.3 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 1980s | 6.99 terawatt-hours | 367.03 terawatt-hours | 360.04 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 1990s | 13.24 terawatt-hours | 211.81 terawatt-hours | 198.57 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 2000s | 68.92 terawatt-hours | 105.55 terawatt-hours | 36.63 terawatt-hours | OECD (EI) |
| 2010s | 229.05 terawatt-hours | 102.97 terawatt-hours | 126.09 terawatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 396.77 terawatt-hours | 146.89 terawatt-hours | 249.88 terawatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. low-carbon energy, China or OECD (EI)?
- China, at 632.58 terawatt-hours against 142.15 terawatt-hours in OECD (EI) as of 2025.
- What is the difference in year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. low-carbon energy between China and OECD (EI)?
- 490.43 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and OECD (EI)?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1966 to 2025.
- How do China and OECD (EI) rank globally for year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. low-carbon energy?
- China ranks 1st and OECD (EI) ranks 1st of 80 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. low-carbon energy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Change in total energy supply relative to the previous year, measured in terawatt-hours.