China vs United States: Total electricity output

China
5.84 million GWh
in 2015
United States
4.30 million GWh
in 2015
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd

Total electricity output over time

  • China
  • United States
02.0M4.0M6.0M199020022015

How they compare

China currently reports 5.84 million GWh against 4.30 million GWh in United States, a difference of 1.55 million GWh.

That makes China's figure about 1.4 times United States's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 26 shared years of data; in 1990 it was United States ahead.

China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 228 countries.

Across the 3 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and United States in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade China United States Difference Ahead
1990s 945,108 GWh 3.51 million GWh 2.57 million GWh United States
2000s 2.44 million GWh 4.15 million GWh 1.70 million GWh United States
2010s 5.14 million GWh 4.31 million GWh 829,677 GWh China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher total electricity output, China or United States?
China, at 5.84 million GWh against 4.30 million GWh in United States as of 2015.
What is the difference in total electricity output between China and United States?
1.55 million GWh, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
26 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2015.
How do China and United States rank globally for total electricity output?
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 228 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank and International Energy Agency (IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA, http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), published as Total electricity output (GWh). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Total electricity output (GWh)
Unit
GWh
Source
World Bank and International Energy Agency (IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA, http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
229 places, 5,885 data points, 1990–2015
Last refreshed

Total electricity output (GWh): Total number of GWh generated by all power plants