Australia vs South Africa: Electricity generation from coal
Australia
122.35 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa
197.5 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Australia rank
10th
South Africa rank
7th
Electricity generation from coal over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 197.5 terawatt-hours against 122.35 terawatt-hours in Australia, a difference of 75.15 terawatt-hours.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.6 times Australia's.
Across all 41 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Australia ranks 10th and South Africa ranks 7th of 207 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 100.37 terawatt-hours | 141.13 terawatt-hours | 40.76 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1990s | 143.57 terawatt-hours | 172.87 terawatt-hours | 29.3 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2000s | 180.51 terawatt-hours | 224.73 terawatt-hours | 44.23 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2010s | 161.42 terawatt-hours | 233.27 terawatt-hours | 71.85 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2020s | 130.81 terawatt-hours | 203.89 terawatt-hours | 73.09 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from coal, Australia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 197.5 terawatt-hours against 122.35 terawatt-hours in Australia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from coal between Australia and South Africa?
- 75.15 terawatt-hours, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
- 41 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2025.
- How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for electricity generation from coal?
- Australia ranks 10th and South Africa ranks 7th of 207 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026) and other sources β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Electricity generation from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.