China vs South Africa: Share of primary energy from oil
China
20.9%
in 2025
South Africa
19.5%
in 2025
China rank
75th
South Africa rank
76th
Share of primary energy from oil over time
- China
- South Africa
How they compare
China currently reports 20.9% against 19.5% in South Africa, a difference of 1.4%.
That makes China's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Africa ahead.
China ranks 75th and South Africa ranks 76th of 80 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.1% | 21.4% | 10.3% | South Africa |
| 1970s | 20.8% | 25.1% | 4.3% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 18.0% | 19.5% | 1.5% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 18.9% | 21.1% | 2.2% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 20.1% | 22.3% | 2.2% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 19.7% | 22.6% | 2.9% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 20.8% | 20.6% | 0.2% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of primary energy from oil, China or South Africa?
- China, at 20.9% against 19.5% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of primary energy from oil between China and South Africa?
- 1.4%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Africa?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do China and South Africa rank globally for share of primary energy from oil?
- China ranks 75th and South Africa ranks 76th of 80 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of primary energy from oil. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total energy supply.