In 2023, coal accounted for **** percent of total energy consumption in China. Coal's share of energy consumption in China has decreased every year between 2012 and 2021. Meanwhile, the share of natural gas had increased to *** percent by 2023.

Coal is by far the major primary energy fuel used in China, with a consumption volume amounting to ***** exajoules in 2024. Ranking second that year was oil, accounting for less than ** percent of the East Asian country's total consumption. By contrast, China's primary energy consumption from renewable sources amounted to ***** exajoules in 2024, up from ***** exajoules in the previous year.

China sources most of its electricity from coal. In 2023, fossil fuels made up 61 percent of the total electricity in the country. Despite continuing to expand its coal power plant fleet, China has recently redirected its investment efforts towards clean energy initiatives with the aim of reducing pollution and emission levels. From fossil to the future As the largest global polluter, China has designated the development of renewable energy sources as a major objective of its economic policies. Already, the country produced the most renewable energy worldwide. However, as the second-largest economy, it was also the biggest energy consumer, attributed to its population numbers and a large manufacturing sector. According to the China Electricity Council, a national trade organization, the combined capacity of wind and solar power was going to exceed the projected coal power supply in 2024. Long-distance relationship One of the greatest obstacles to the green energy transition in the PRC is the distance between the green energy sources and its consumers. In general, the country has favorable conditions for the installation of wind and solar power, as the northwestern regions are not only abundant in wind and sun but also host China's hydroelectric dams. Nonetheless, most individuals and institutions lack awareness. However, most people and industry are in the country’s coastal provinces, many thousands of kilometers away. As a result, the country has built the world’s leading ultra-high-voltage electricity transmission system, which allows the transmission of energy over large distances. The longest transmission circuit in China exceeds 2,000 kilometers.

China is the largest consumer of primary energy in the world, having used some 176.35 exajoules in 2024. This is a lot more than what the United States consumed, which comes in second place. The majority of primary energy fuels worldwide are still derived from fossil fuels, such as oil and coal. China's energy mix China’s primary energy mix has shifted from a dominant use of coal to an increase in natural gas and renewable sources. Since 2013, the renewables share in total energy consumption has grown by around eight percentage points. Overall, global primary energy consumption has increased over the last decade, and it is expected to experience the largest growth in emerging economies like the BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India, and China. What is primary energy? Primary energy is the energy inherent in natural resources such as crude oil, coal, and wind before further transformation. For example, crude oil can be refined into secondary fuels, such as gasoline or diesel, while wind is harnessed for electricity - itself a secondary energy source. A country’s total primary energy supply is a measure of the country’s primary energy sources. Meanwhile, end-use energy is the energy directly consumed by the user and includes primary fuels such as natural gas, as well as secondary sources, like electricity and gasoline.

Key information about China Electricity Production

• Electricity Production in China reached 846,240 GWh in Dec 2024, compared with 749,510 GWh in the previous month.
• Electricity Production data of China is updated monthly averaging at 189,206 GWh from Apr 1986 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 907,420 GWh in Aug 2024 and a record low of 35,650 GWh in Apr 1986.

China generated approximately *** terawatt hours of electricity using nuclear power in 2024. Although thermal energy sources such as coal remain the largest contributor to China's energy mix, the use of non-fossil sources notably increased in the past few years. Renewable energy in China In the last two decades, China has raised the capacity and hence the generation volume of electricity from all sources in order to meet ever-growing energy demand. Most of this growth came from thermal sources, nevertheless, renewable energy consumption in China has increased more than tenfold since the early 2000s. In 2024, clean electricity sources accounted for a third of power. This may be evidenced by the significant growth rate of renewable capacity. China's role in the global renewable energy industry In 2021, China's government announced that it was striving towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Already, China has become one of the leading players in the renewable energy arena, housing multiple major manufacturers. In fact, China accounts for nearly ** percent of solar PV module production worldwide.

In 2024, China consumed *****percent of global primary energy, positioning itself as the largest primary energy consumer across the world. The United States followed, with more than ****** the consumption share of India and Russia, the third and fourth-largest consumers worldwide. China’s use of energy Most of the primary energy consumed in China comes from coal, while crude oil is the country’s second most-consumed resource. Primary energy consumption in China has increased ****-fold since 2000 and continues to rise each year. Rapid energy plants construction is a major reason for China's rising energy consumption. Sources of primary energy Primary energy comes directly from natural resources, both renewable and non-renewable, and has not yet been subject to transformation through human processes. Fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and gas are the most common types of primary energy sources worldwide. Consumption of renewables such as solar and wind currently remains at a much lower level than that of fossil fuels. For instance, the use of coal alone is ***** times greater than that of renewable sources. However, global renewable energy consumption has been growing steadily over the past decades.

Primary energy supply in the United States has fluctuated since 1998, peaking at 96.95 exajoules in 2007. By 2024, figures had decreased to nearly 91.83 exajoules. Primary energy refers to energy harvested directly from natural resources, before being transformed into electricity or other secondary or tertiary energy forms. It includes both fossil fuels and renewable sources. United States' primary energy demand: global context The U.S. is the second largest primary energy consumer worldwide, only falling behind China. In 2024, China had a primary energy demand of over 176 exajoules. Rounding out the top three, India ranked third and had a total energy consumption of some 41 exajoules. Energy transition in the U.S. Such high energy demand leads to greater carbon emissions. Despite the increase in clean energy investments in the U.S., the country’s main energy sources are still fossil fuels. However, the share of renewables in electricity generation has increased to over 24 percent as of 2024.

Fossil fuels remain the greatest source of electricity generation worldwide. In 2024, coal accounted for roughly 34.1 percent of the global power mix, while natural gas followed with a 22.29 percent share. China, India, and the United States accounted for the largest share of coal used for electricity generation. The future of renewable energy Fossil fuel use notwithstanding, the share of renewables in global electricity has seen a more pronounced year-on-year growth in recent years, following increased efforts by governments to combat global warming and a decrease in levelized costs. Projections indicate that renewables will surpass fossil fuels as the main power source by 2040. Electricity consumption in the world China is the largest electricity consumer in the world, requiring almost 9,000 terawatt-hours of electricity every year. However, this economic power accounts for the largest population in the world and its electricity consumption per capita is almost tenfold smaller than the consumption of Iceland, although the power used in this country came almost completely from clean sources.

China: Net energy imports as percent of total energy use: The latest value from 2022 is 20.75 percent, a decline from 21.74 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is -6.70 percent, based on data from 137 countries. Historically, the average for China from 1990 to 2022 is 8.73 percent. The minimum value, -4.01 percent, was reached in 1990 while the maximum of 23.03 percent was recorded in 2020.

Hong Kong HK: Electricity Production From Coal Sources: % of Total data was reported at 65.440 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 76.176 % for 2014. Hong Kong HK: Electricity Production From Coal Sources: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 68.838 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 45 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.235 % in 1988 and a record low of 0.000 % in 1981. Hong Kong HK: Electricity Production From Coal Sources: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong SAR – Table HK.World Bank.WDI: Energy Production and Consumption. Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Coal refers to all coal and brown coal, both primary (including hard coal and lignite-brown coal) and derived fuels (including patent fuel, coke oven coke, gas coke, coke oven gas, and blast furnace gas). Peat is also included in this category.; ; IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 (http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), subject to https://www.iea.org/t&c/termsandconditions/; Weighted average; Electricity production shares may not sum to 100 percent because other sources of generated electricity (such as geothermal, solar, and wind) are not shown. Restricted use: Please contact the International Energy Agency for third-party use of these data.

In 2022, China accounted for the largest energy consumption in the world, followed by the United States and India. Projections indicate that the country will maintain its position as the world's largest consumer in the upcoming decades. India's energy consumption was predicted to nearly triple by 2050, making it the second-largest energy consumer by that year, while the U.S.' energy demand will only slightly increase during the period under consideration. Largest energy consumers worldwide In 2022, China's energy consumption represented over a quarter of the global primary energy consumption, compared to 15 percent consumed in the United States. However, the per capita primary energy consumption distribution painted a different picture. While both the U.S. and China’s per capita energy consumption were above the global average in 2024, the North American country’s per person consumption was double that of China. That year, the per person energy consumption in India was over 60 percent less than the global average of 21.5 kilowatt-hours per person. Sources of energy consumption Fossil fuels dominate the global energy mix, accounting for nearly 70 percent of primary energy demand in 2022. China, the United States, and India relied on these sources for over 80 percent of their primary energy consumption in 2024. According to a recent forecast, renewable energy sources are projected to play an increasingly significant role in the upcoming decades, with primary energy consumption from green sources forecast to grow from 70 to 170 exajoules between 2022 and 2050. However, the central contribution of fossil fuels to the global energy supply is expected to remain unwavering.

HK: Electricity Production From Oil Sources: % of Total data was reported at 0.492 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.579 % for 2014. HK: Electricity Production From Oil Sources: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 2.134 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 45 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 100.000 % in 1981 and a record low of 0.279 % in 2010. HK: Electricity Production From Oil Sources: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong – Table HK.World Bank: Energy Production and Consumption. Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Oil refers to crude oil and petroleum products.; ; IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 (http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), subject to https://www.iea.org/t&c/termsandconditions/; Weighted average; Electricity production shares may not sum to 100 percent because other sources of generated electricity (such as geothermal, solar, and wind) are not shown. Restricted use: Please contact the International Energy Agency for third-party use of these data.

In 2023, coal accounted for **** percent of primary energy production in China. In the period of consideration, the share of energy generated from coal has decreased consistently, while the share of primary electricity has doubled.

Global primary energy consumption has increased dramatically in recent years and is projected to continue to increase until 2045. Only renewable energy consumption is expected to increase between 2045 and 2050 and reach almost 30 percent of the global energy consumption. Energy consumption by country The distribution of energy consumption globally is disproportionately high among some countries. China, the United States, and India were by far the largest consumers of primary energy globally. On a per capita basis, Qatar, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Iceland had the highest per capita energy consumption. Renewable energy consumption Over the last two decades, renewable electricity consumption has increased to reach over 48.8 exajoules in 2024. Among all countries globally, China had the largest installed renewable energy capacity as of that year, followed by the United States.

China Coal Consumption Rate of Electricity Supply: YoY: Year to Date data was reported at -1.500 % in Dec 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of -1.200 % for Dec 2019. China Coal Consumption Rate of Electricity Supply: YoY: Year to Date data is updated monthly, averaging -3.271 % from Jul 2009 (Median) to Dec 2020, with 116 observations. The data reached an all-time high of -0.100 % in Sep 2018 and a record low of -8.000 % in Sep 2010. China Coal Consumption Rate of Electricity Supply: YoY: Year to Date data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by China Electricity Council. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Energy Sector – Table CN.RBB: Coal Consumption.

China: Access to electricity, percent of the population: The latest value from 2023 is 100 percent, unchanged from 100 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 87.52 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for China from 2000 to 2023 is 99.08 percent. The minimum value, 96.7 percent, was reached in 2000 while the maximum of 100 percent was recorded in 2013.

The average for 2023 based on 46 countries was 1.229 percent. The highest value was in China: 33.017 percent and the lowest value was in the Maldives: 0.003 percent. The indicator is available from 1980 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Iceland is by far the largest per capita consumer of electricity worldwide, averaging 51.9 megawatt-hours per person in 2024. This results from a combination of factors, such as low-cost electricity production, increased heating demand, and the presence of energy-intensive industries in the country. Norway, Qatar, and Canada were also some of the world's largest electricity consumers per capita that year. China is the leading overall power consumer Power-intensive industries, the purchasing power of the average citizen, household size, and general power efficiency standards all contribute to the amount of electricity that is consumed per person every year. However, in terms of total electricity consumption, a country's size and population can also play an important role. In 2024, the three most populous countries in the world, namely China, the United States, and India, were also the three largest electricity consumers. Global electricity consumption on the rise In 2023, net electricity consumption worldwide amounted to over 27,000 terawatt-hours, an increase of 30 percent in comparison to a decade earlier. When compared to 1980, global electricity consumption more than tripled. On the generation side, the world is still strongly dependent on fossil fuels. Despite the world's renewable energy capacity quintupling in the last decade, coal and gas combined still accounted for almost 60 percent of global electricity generation in 2023.

China Coal Consumption Rate of Electricity Supply: Year to Date data was reported at 290.400 g/kWh in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 287.800 g/kWh for Feb 2025. China Coal Consumption Rate of Electricity Supply: Year to Date data is updated monthly, averaging 323.500 g/kWh from Dec 1958 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 270 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 605.000 g/kWh in Dec 1962 and a record low of 287.800 g/kWh in Feb 2025. China Coal Consumption Rate of Electricity Supply: Year to Date data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by China Electricity Council. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Energy Sector – Table CN.RBB: Coal Consumption.