THE POWER RACE · ELECTRICITY = STRENGTH?
Who makes the most electricity (China vs US)?
“Electricity production is the best metric for the true strength of any large-scale economy imo”ELON MUSK, OCT 10, 2026 · ON X
So here is the scoreboard. Every country’s electricity generation from the open energy record, the race between the two biggest, and who makes the most per person. It matters for AI too: the data centres SIREN tracks are the fastest-growing new load on the grid.
Who is winning the electricity race by year?
Which countries are the top 20 generators in 2025?
| # | COUNTRY | TWh | 5-YR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 10,583 | +36% | |
| 2 | United States | 4,520 | +11.8% | |
| 3 | India | 2,082 | +33.1% | |
| 4 | Russia | 1,193 | +9.9% | |
| 5 | Japan | 1,030 | +1.9% | |
| 6 | Brazil | 751 | +19.4% | |
| 7 | Canada | 652 | -0.5% | |
| 8 | South Korea | 625 | +8.2% | |
| 9 | France | 570 | +8.1% | |
| 10 | Germany | 501 | -11.7% | |
| 11 | Saudi Arabia | 455 | +20.1% | |
| 12 | Iran | 396 | +17.4% | |
| 13 | Indonesia | 372 | +25.8% | |
| 14 | Mexico | 357 | +9.6% | |
| 15 | Turkey | 354 | +17.2% | |
| 16 | Vietnam | 310 | +27% | |
| 17 | United Kingdom | 292 | -5.8% | |
| 18 | Taiwan | 288 | +3% | |
| 19 | Spain | 288 | +11% | |
| 20 | Australia | 286 | +8% |
Who makes the most electricity per person?
| Norway | 28,598 |
| Kuwait | 18,402 |
| Canada | 16,259 |
| United Arab Emirates | 16,075 |
| Sweden | 16,019 |
| Finland | 14,635 |
| Saudi Arabia | 13,386 |
| United States | 13,015 |
| Taiwan | 12,478 |
| South Korea | 12,090 |
| Australia | 10,615 |
| Singapore | 10,246 |
| Oman | 9,617 |
| Israel | 8,627 |
| France | 8,552 |
Which countries grew generation fastest?
| Laos | +67.4% | 52 |
| Oman | +38.3% | 53 |
| China | +36% | 10,583 |
| Pakistan | +33.4% | 195 |
| India | +33.1% | 2,082 |
| Uzbekistan | +30.3% | 87 |
| Iraq | +30% | 150 |
| United Arab Emirates | +28% | 177 |
| Vietnam | +27% | 310 |
| Indonesia | +25.8% | 372 |
Countries generating at least 50 TWh.
Related: What does the SIREN infrastructure index read? · How many datacentres has SIREN mapped in the United States? · How many datacentres has SIREN mapped on Earth? · What AI charts does SIREN publish?
Source: Our World in Data energy dataset (Ember and the Energy Institute), CC BY 4.0. Annual figures, latest year 2025; refreshed daily. Generation, not consumption; imports and exports are not netted out. JSON
What questions do people actually ask?
Who makes the most electricity (China vs US)?
China leads with 10,583 TWh in 2025; China generates 2.3× what the US does. World total 31,772 terawatt-hours.
Who is winning the electricity race by year?
Annual electricity generation in TWh for China, the United States, India and the European Union from the open energy record.
Which countries are the top 20 generators in 2025?
China leads; the table ranks the top twenty by terawatt-hours with five-year growth.
Who makes the most electricity per person?
Norway leads among countries over 5M people at 28,598 kWh per person.
Which countries grew generation fastest?
Countries generating at least 50 TWh, ranked by five-year growth in generation.
Is this generation or consumption?
Generation, not consumption; imports and exports are not netted out. Annual figures from the open energy record, refreshed daily.
Why does electricity matter for AI on this site?
It matters for AI too: the data centres SIREN tracks are the fastest-growing new load on the grid.
Where does the data come from?
Our World in Data energy dataset (Ember and the Energy Institute), CC BY 4.0.
Search-shaped sibling: What does the SIREN infrastructure index read? · How many datacentres has SIREN mapped in the United States? · How many datacentres has SIREN mapped on Earth? · What AI charts does SIREN publish?.