China vs USSR: Primary energy from low-carbon energy
China
5,611 terawatt-hours
in 2025
USSR
638.74 terawatt-hours
in 1984
China rank
1st
USSR rank
3rd
Primary energy from low-carbon energy over time
- China
- USSR
How they compare
China currently reports 5,611 terawatt-hours against 638.74 terawatt-hours in USSR, a difference of 4,972 terawatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 8.8 times USSR's.
Across all 20 years both countries report, USSR has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and USSR ranks 3rd of 77 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 | 22.02 terawatt-hours | 104.05 terawatt-hours | 82.04 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1970s | 39.03 terawatt-hours | 231.44 terawatt-hours | 192.41 terawatt-hours | USSR |
| 1980s | 74.28 terawatt-hours | 498.75 terawatt-hours | 424.47 terawatt-hours | USSR |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy from low-carbon energy, China or USSR?
- China, at 5,611 terawatt-hours against 638.74 terawatt-hours in USSR as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy from low-carbon energy between China and USSR?
- 4,972 terawatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and USSR?
- 20 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 1984.
- How do China and USSR rank globally for primary energy from low-carbon energy?
- China ranks 1st and USSR ranks 3rd of 77 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Primary energy from low-carbon energy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.