Australia vs South Africa: Fossil fuel consumption
Australia
1,414 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa
1,332 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Australia rank
16th
South Africa rank
18th
Fossil fuel consumption over time
- Australia
- South Africa
How they compare
Australia currently reports 1,414 terawatt-hours against 1,332 terawatt-hours in South Africa, a difference of 82 terawatt-hours.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 18th of 220 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 449.67 terawatt-hours | 375.28 terawatt-hours | 74.39 terawatt-hours | Australia |
| 1970s | 668.85 terawatt-hours | 524.93 terawatt-hours | 143.92 terawatt-hours | Australia |
| 1980s | 860.51 terawatt-hours | 857.91 terawatt-hours | 2.61 terawatt-hours | Australia |
| 1990s | 1,097 terawatt-hours | 1,059 terawatt-hours | 38.29 terawatt-hours | Australia |
| 2000s | 1,359 terawatt-hours | 1,264 terawatt-hours | 95.28 terawatt-hours | Australia |
| 2010s | 1,480 terawatt-hours | 1,375 terawatt-hours | 105.23 terawatt-hours | Australia |
| 2020s | 1,413 terawatt-hours | 1,296 terawatt-hours | 117.71 terawatt-hours | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel consumption, Australia or South Africa?
- Australia, at 1,414 terawatt-hours against 1,332 terawatt-hours in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel consumption between Australia and South Africa?
- 82 terawatt-hours, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Africa?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do Australia and South Africa rank globally for fossil fuel consumption?
- Australia ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 18th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Fossil fuel consumption. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and gas.