Japan vs South Africa: Electricity generation from coal
Japan
330.08 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa
197.5 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Japan rank
4th
South Africa rank
7th
Electricity generation from coal over time
- Japan
- South Africa
How they compare
Japan currently reports 330.08 terawatt-hours against 197.5 terawatt-hours in South Africa, a difference of 132.58 terawatt-hours.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.7 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 41 shared years of data; in 1985 it was South Africa ahead.
Japan ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 7th of 211 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 106.9 terawatt-hours | 141.13 terawatt-hours | 34.23 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1990s | 161.29 terawatt-hours | 172.87 terawatt-hours | 11.58 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2000s | 293.76 terawatt-hours | 224.73 terawatt-hours | 69.03 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2010s | 341.75 terawatt-hours | 233.27 terawatt-hours | 108.48 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2020s | 337.27 terawatt-hours | 203.89 terawatt-hours | 133.38 terawatt-hours | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from coal, Japan or South Africa?
- Japan, at 330.08 terawatt-hours against 197.5 terawatt-hours in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from coal between Japan and South Africa?
- 132.58 terawatt-hours, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Africa?
- 41 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2025.
- How do Japan and South Africa rank globally for electricity generation from coal?
- Japan ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 7th of 211 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.