South Africa vs United States: Coal consumption
South Africa
1,013 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
2,425 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa rank
7th
United States rank
4th
Coal consumption over time
- South Africa
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 2,425 terawatt-hours against 1,013 terawatt-hours in South Africa, a difference of 1,412 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States's figure about 2.4 times South Africa's.
Across all 61 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 7th and United States ranks 4th of 220 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 294.81 terawatt-hours | 3,360 terawatt-hours | 3,066 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1970s | 391.9 terawatt-hours | 3,635 terawatt-hours | 3,243 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1980s | 686.9 terawatt-hours | 4,741 terawatt-hours | 4,054 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1990s | 813.89 terawatt-hours | 5,648 terawatt-hours | 4,834 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 949.04 terawatt-hours | 6,160 terawatt-hours | 5,211 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 1,011 terawatt-hours | 4,513 terawatt-hours | 3,501 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2020s | 972.45 terawatt-hours | 2,525 terawatt-hours | 1,552 terawatt-hours | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal consumption, South Africa or United States?
- United States, at 2,425 terawatt-hours against 1,013 terawatt-hours in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in coal consumption between South Africa and United States?
- 1,412 terawatt-hours, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and United States rank globally for coal consumption?
- South Africa ranks 7th and United States ranks 4th 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.