South Korea vs South Africa: Coal consumption
South Korea
793.18 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa
1,013 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Korea rank
9th
South Africa rank
7th
Coal consumption over time
- South Korea
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1,013 terawatt-hours against 793.18 terawatt-hours in South Korea, a difference of 219.82 terawatt-hours.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.3 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Africa ahead.
South Korea ranks 9th and South Africa ranks 7th of 220 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 61.02 terawatt-hours | 294.81 terawatt-hours | 233.8 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1970s | 93.78 terawatt-hours | 391.9 terawatt-hours | 298.13 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1980s | 231.32 terawatt-hours | 686.9 terawatt-hours | 455.59 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1990s | 359.62 terawatt-hours | 813.89 terawatt-hours | 454.27 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2000s | 654.14 terawatt-hours | 949.04 terawatt-hours | 294.9 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2010s | 987.65 terawatt-hours | 1,011 terawatt-hours | 23.71 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2020s | 849.39 terawatt-hours | 972.45 terawatt-hours | 123.06 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal consumption, South Korea or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 1,013 terawatt-hours against 793.18 terawatt-hours in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in coal consumption between South Korea and South Africa?
- 219.82 terawatt-hours, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and South Africa?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and South Africa rank globally for coal consumption?
- South Korea ranks 9th and South Africa ranks 7th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Coal consumption. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.