Portugal vs South Africa: Energy use per person vs. GDP per capita
Portugal
20,942 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
South Africa
21,592 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
Portugal rank
86th
South Africa rank
84th
Energy use per person vs. GDP per capita over time
- Portugal
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 21,592 kilowatt-hours per person against 20,942 kilowatt-hours per person in Portugal, a difference of 650 kilowatt-hours per person.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Africa ahead.
Portugal ranks 86th and South Africa ranks 84th of 218 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Portugal | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5,321 kilowatt-hours per person | 18,453 kilowatt-hours per person | 13,132 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 1970s | 9,782 kilowatt-hours per person | 20,669 kilowatt-hours per person | 10,887 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 1980s | 13,737 kilowatt-hours per person | 25,238 kilowatt-hours per person | 11,502 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 1990s | 21,911 kilowatt-hours per person | 24,790 kilowatt-hours per person | 2,879 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 2000s | 26,109 kilowatt-hours per person | 26,399 kilowatt-hours per person | 289.45 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 2010s | 24,432 kilowatt-hours per person | 25,489 kilowatt-hours per person | 1,058 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 2020s | 21,197 kilowatt-hours per person | 21,562 kilowatt-hours per person | 365.03 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher energy use per person vs. gdp per capita, Portugal or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 21,592 kilowatt-hours per person against 20,942 kilowatt-hours per person in Portugal as of 2025.
- What is the difference in energy use per person vs. gdp per capita between Portugal and South Africa?
- 650 kilowatt-hours per person, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and South Africa?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do Portugal and South Africa rank globally for energy use per person vs. gdp per capita?
- Portugal ranks 86th and South Africa ranks 84th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Energy use per person 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.