Australia vs South Africa: Electricity generation
Australia
286.34 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa
242.76 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Australia rank
20th
South Africa rank
23rd
Electricity generation over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
Australia currently reports 286.34 terawatt-hours against 242.76 terawatt-hours in South Africa, a difference of 43.58 terawatt-hours.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 41 shared years of data; in 1985 it was South Africa ahead.
Australia ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 214 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 136.76 terawatt-hours | 153.12 terawatt-hours | 16.36 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1990s | 176.12 terawatt-hours | 186.55 terawatt-hours | 10.43 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2000s | 232.7 terawatt-hours | 239.03 terawatt-hours | 6.33 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2010s | 255.48 terawatt-hours | 255.8 terawatt-hours | 0.319 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2020s | 274.44 terawatt-hours | 241.43 terawatt-hours | 33 terawatt-hours | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation, Australia or South Africa?
- Australia, at 286.34 terawatt-hours against 242.76 terawatt-hours in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation between Australia and South Africa?
- 43.58 terawatt-hours, with Australia 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?
- Australia ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 214 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Electricity generation. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total electricity generated in each country or region, measured in terawatt-hours.