South Korea vs South Africa: Coal consumption per person
South Korea
15,352 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
South Africa
15,640 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
South Korea rank
7th
South Africa rank
5th
Coal consumption per person over time
- South Korea
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 15,640 kilowatt-hours per person against 15,352 kilowatt-hours per person in South Korea, a difference of 288 kilowatt-hours per person.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Africa ahead.
South Korea ranks 7th and South Africa ranks 5th of 215 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,000 kilowatt-hours per person | 14,508 kilowatt-hours per person | 12,507 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 1970s | 2,628 kilowatt-hours per person | 15,393 kilowatt-hours per person | 12,766 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 1980s | 5,624 kilowatt-hours per person | 19,862 kilowatt-hours per person | 14,237 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 1990s | 7,922 kilowatt-hours per person | 18,480 kilowatt-hours per person | 10,558 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 2000s | 13,686 kilowatt-hours per person | 19,216 kilowatt-hours per person | 5,529 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 2010s | 19,545 kilowatt-hours per person | 18,124 kilowatt-hours per person | 1,420 kilowatt-hours per person | South Korea |
| 2020s | 16,406 kilowatt-hours per person | 15,501 kilowatt-hours per person | 905.3 kilowatt-hours per person | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal consumption per person, South Korea or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 15,640 kilowatt-hours per person against 15,352 kilowatt-hours per person in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in coal consumption per person between South Korea and South Africa?
- 288 kilowatt-hours per person, 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 per person?
- South Korea ranks 7th and South Africa ranks 5th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Coal consumption per person. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in kilowatt-hours per person.