South Africa vs United States of America: Coal production
South Africa
1,552 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United States of America
3,067 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa rank
8th
United States of America rank
5th
Coal production over time
- South Africa
- United States of America
How they compare
United States of America currently reports 3,067 terawatt-hours against 1,552 terawatt-hours in South Africa, a difference of 1,515 terawatt-hours.
That makes United States of America's figure about 2.0 times South Africa's.
Across all 126 years both countries report, United States of America has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 8th and United States of America ranks 5th of 220 countries.
United States of America has averaged higher in every one of the 13 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United States of America | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 26.03 terawatt-hours | 2,538 terawatt-hours | 2,512 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1910s | 56.53 terawatt-hours | 3,813 terawatt-hours | 3,756 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1920s | 79.24 terawatt-hours | 3,998 terawatt-hours | 3,919 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1930s | 89.66 terawatt-hours | 2,982 terawatt-hours | 2,893 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1940s | 148.5 terawatt-hours | 4,157 terawatt-hours | 4,008 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1950s | 210.96 terawatt-hours | 3,385 terawatt-hours | 3,174 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1960s | 307.71 terawatt-hours | 3,447 terawatt-hours | 3,140 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1970s | 489.69 terawatt-hours | 4,407 terawatt-hours | 3,917 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1980s | 1,055 terawatt-hours | 5,419 terawatt-hours | 4,364 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 1990s | 1,321 terawatt-hours | 6,234 terawatt-hours | 4,913 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2000s | 1,530 terawatt-hours | 6,401 terawatt-hours | 4,871 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2010s | 1,685 terawatt-hours | 5,097 terawatt-hours | 3,412 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
| 2020s | 1,552 terawatt-hours | 3,141 terawatt-hours | 1,589 terawatt-hours | United States of America |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal production, South Africa or United States of America?
- United States of America, at 3,067 terawatt-hours against 1,552 terawatt-hours in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in coal production between South Africa and United States of America?
- 1,515 terawatt-hours, with United States of America ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United States of America?
- 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and United States of America rank globally for coal production?
- South Africa ranks 8th and United States of America ranks 5th 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 Coal production. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.