China vs South Africa: Coal energy consumption per capita vs. GDP per capita
China
18.09 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
South Africa
15.64 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
China rank
3rd
South Africa rank
4th
Coal energy consumption per capita vs. GDP per capita over time
- China
- South Africa
How they compare
China currently reports 18.09 kilowatt-hours per person against 15.64 kilowatt-hours per person in South Africa, a difference of 2.45 kilowatt-hours per person.
That makes China's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Africa ahead.
China ranks 3rd and South Africa ranks 4th of 78 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.78 kilowatt-hours per person | 14.51 kilowatt-hours per person | 12.72 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 1970s | 2.9 kilowatt-hours per person | 15.39 kilowatt-hours per person | 12.5 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 1980s | 4.33 kilowatt-hours per person | 19.86 kilowatt-hours per person | 15.53 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 1990s | 6.08 kilowatt-hours per person | 18.48 kilowatt-hours per person | 12.4 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 2000s | 10.65 kilowatt-hours per person | 19.22 kilowatt-hours per person | 8.56 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 2010s | 15.94 kilowatt-hours per person | 18.12 kilowatt-hours per person | 2.19 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 2020s | 17.32 kilowatt-hours per person | 15.5 kilowatt-hours per person | 1.82 kilowatt-hours per person | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal energy consumption per capita vs. gdp per capita, China or South Africa?
- China, at 18.09 kilowatt-hours per person against 15.64 kilowatt-hours per person in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in coal energy consumption per capita vs. gdp per capita between China and South Africa?
- 2.45 kilowatt-hours per person, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Africa?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do China and South Africa rank globally for coal energy consumption per capita vs. gdp per capita?
- China ranks 3rd 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.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in kilowatt-hours of total energy supply per person.