China vs USSR: Year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs.
China
632.58 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
120.82 terawatt-hours
in 1984
China rank
1st
USSR rank
2nd
Year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. over time
- China
- USSR
How they compare
China currently reports 632.58 terawatt-hours against 120.82 terawatt-hours in USSR, a difference of 511.76 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 5.2 times USSR's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 19 shared years of data; in 1966 it was USSR ahead.
China ranks 1st and USSR ranks 2nd of 80 countries.
USSR has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2906 terawatt-hours | 9.78 terawatt-hours | 9.49 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1970s | 2.53 terawatt-hours | 22.65 terawatt-hours | 20.12 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1980s | 7.65 terawatt-hours | 57.21 terawatt-hours | 49.56 terawatt-hours | USSR |
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 USSR?
- China, at 632.58 terawatt-hours against 120.82 terawatt-hours in USSR 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 USSR?
- 511.76 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and USSR?
- 19 years are reported by both, from 1966 to 1984.
- How do China and USSR rank globally for year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. low-carbon energy?
- China ranks 1st and USSR ranks 2nd 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.