South Africa vs United States: Coal production
South Africa
1,552 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States
3,067 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa rank
8th
United States rank
5th
Coal production over time
- South Africa
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 3,067 terawatt-hours against 1,552 terawatt-hours in South Africa, a difference of 1,515 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States's figure about 2.0 times South Africa's.
Across all 126 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 8th and United States ranks 5th of 220 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 26.03 terawatt-hours | 2,538 terawatt-hours | 2,512 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1910s | 56.53 terawatt-hours | 3,813 terawatt-hours | 3,756 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1920s | 79.24 terawatt-hours | 3,998 terawatt-hours | 3,919 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1930s | 89.66 terawatt-hours | 2,982 terawatt-hours | 2,893 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1940s | 148.5 terawatt-hours | 4,157 terawatt-hours | 4,008 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1950s | 210.96 terawatt-hours | 3,385 terawatt-hours | 3,174 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1960s | 307.71 terawatt-hours | 3,447 terawatt-hours | 3,140 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1970s | 489.69 terawatt-hours | 4,407 terawatt-hours | 3,917 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1980s | 1,055 terawatt-hours | 5,419 terawatt-hours | 4,364 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 1990s | 1,321 terawatt-hours | 6,234 terawatt-hours | 4,913 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2000s | 1,530 terawatt-hours | 6,401 terawatt-hours | 4,871 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2010s | 1,685 terawatt-hours | 5,097 terawatt-hours | 3,412 terawatt-hours | United States |
| 2020s | 1,552 terawatt-hours | 3,141 terawatt-hours | 1,589 terawatt-hours | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal production, South Africa or United States?
- United States, at 3,067 terawatt-hours against 1,552 terawatt-hours in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in coal production between South Africa and United States?
- 1,515 terawatt-hours, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and United States rank globally for coal production?
- South Africa ranks 8th and United States ranks 5th 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 production. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.