Australia vs South Africa: Coal energy consumption per capita vs. GDP per capita

Australia
15.03 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
South Africa
15.64 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
Australia rank
7th
South Africa rank
4th

Coal energy consumption per capita vs. GDP per capita over time

  • Australia
  • South Africa
0102030196519952025

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 15.64 kilowatt-hours per person against 15.03 kilowatt-hours per person in Australia, a difference of 0.61 kilowatt-hours per person.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Australia ahead.

Australia ranks 7th and South Africa ranks 4th of 78 countries.

Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Australia South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 18.24 kilowatt-hours per person 14.51 kilowatt-hours per person 3.73 kilowatt-hours per person Australia
1970s 19.56 kilowatt-hours per person 15.39 kilowatt-hours per person 4.17 kilowatt-hours per person Australia
1980s 23.26 kilowatt-hours per person 19.86 kilowatt-hours per person 3.4 kilowatt-hours per person Australia
1990s 27.36 kilowatt-hours per person 18.48 kilowatt-hours per person 8.88 kilowatt-hours per person Australia
2000s 31.09 kilowatt-hours per person 19.22 kilowatt-hours per person 11.87 kilowatt-hours per person Australia
2010s 22.8 kilowatt-hours per person 18.12 kilowatt-hours per person 4.68 kilowatt-hours per person Australia
2020s 16.41 kilowatt-hours per person 15.5 kilowatt-hours per person 0.9079 kilowatt-hours per person Australia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher coal energy consumption per capita vs. gdp per capita, Australia or South Africa?
South Africa, at 15.64 kilowatt-hours per person against 15.03 kilowatt-hours per person in Australia as of 2025.
What is the difference in coal energy consumption per capita vs. gdp per capita between Australia and South Africa?
0.61 kilowatt-hours per person, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for coal energy consumption per capita vs. gdp per capita?
Australia ranks 7th and South Africa ranks 4th of 78 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Coal energy consumption per capita vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Australia vs South Africa: Coal energy consumption per capita vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid, drawing on Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://energy.statizoid.com/compare/coal-vs-gdp-per-capita/australia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Coal energy consumption per capita vs. GDP per capita
Unit
kilowatt-hours per person
Source
Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
78 places, 4,195 data points, 1965–2025
Last refreshed

Measured in kilowatt-hours of total energy supply per person.