South Africa vs United States of America: Coal consumption by region
South Africa
1,013 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States of America
2,425 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa rank
7th
United States of America rank
4th
Coal consumption by region over time
- South Africa
- United States of America
How they compare
United States of America 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 of America's figure about 2.4 times South Africa's.
Across all 61 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 7th and United States of America ranks 4th of 79 countries.
United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 294.81 terawatt-hours | 3,360 terawatt-hours | 3,066 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1970s | 391.9 terawatt-hours | 3,635 terawatt-hours | 3,243 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1980s | 686.9 terawatt-hours | 4,741 terawatt-hours | 4,054 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1990s | 813.89 terawatt-hours | 5,648 terawatt-hours | 4,834 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2000s | 949.04 terawatt-hours | 6,160 terawatt-hours | 5,211 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2010s | 1,011 terawatt-hours | 4,513 terawatt-hours | 3,501 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2020s | 972.45 terawatt-hours | 2,525 terawatt-hours | 1,552 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal consumption by region, South Africa or United States of America?
- United States of America, at 2,425 terawatt-hours against 1,013 terawatt-hours in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in coal consumption by region between South Africa and United States of America?
- 1,412 terawatt-hours, with United States of America ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States of America?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and United States of America rank globally for coal consumption by region?
- South Africa ranks 7th and United States of America ranks 4th of 79 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Coal consumption by region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual coal consumption is measured in terawatt-hours.