Australia vs South Africa: Electricity demand
Australia
286.34 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa
236.84 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Australia rank
20th
South Africa rank
23rd
Electricity demand over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
Australia currently reports 286.34 terawatt-hours against 236.84 terawatt-hours in South Africa, a difference of 49.5 terawatt-hours.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 26 shared years of data; in 2000 it was South Africa ahead.
Australia ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 210 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 232.7 terawatt-hours | 238.77 terawatt-hours | 6.08 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2010s | 255.48 terawatt-hours | 251.63 terawatt-hours | 3.86 terawatt-hours | Australia |
| 2020s | 274.44 terawatt-hours | 238.66 terawatt-hours | 35.78 terawatt-hours | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity demand, Australia or South Africa?
- Australia, at 286.34 terawatt-hours against 236.84 terawatt-hours in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity demand between Australia and South Africa?
- 49.5 terawatt-hours, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2025.
- How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for electricity demand?
- Australia ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 210 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Electricity demand. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.