Italy vs South Africa: Per capita fossil energy consumption vs. GDP per capita
Italy
21.97 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
South Africa
20.57 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
Italy rank
37th
South Africa rank
39th
Per capita fossil energy consumption vs. GDP per capita over time
- Italy
- South Africa
How they compare
Italy currently reports 21.97 kilowatt-hours per person against 20.57 kilowatt-hours per person in South Africa, a difference of 1.4 kilowatt-hours per person.
That makes Italy's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Africa ahead.
Italy ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 39th of 76 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.18 kilowatt-hours per person | 18.45 kilowatt-hours per person | 0.2765 kilowatt-hours per person | South Africa |
| 1970s | 26.6 kilowatt-hours per person | 20.63 kilowatt-hours per person | 5.98 kilowatt-hours per person | Italy |
| 1980s | 27.39 kilowatt-hours per person | 24.82 kilowatt-hours per person | 2.56 kilowatt-hours per person | Italy |
| 1990s | 31.25 kilowatt-hours per person | 24.04 kilowatt-hours per person | 7.21 kilowatt-hours per person | Italy |
| 2000s | 33.64 kilowatt-hours per person | 25.59 kilowatt-hours per person | 8.05 kilowatt-hours per person | Italy |
| 2010s | 26.06 kilowatt-hours per person | 24.62 kilowatt-hours per person | 1.44 kilowatt-hours per person | Italy |
| 2020s | 22.75 kilowatt-hours per person | 20.65 kilowatt-hours per person | 2.1 kilowatt-hours per person | Italy |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita fossil energy consumption vs. gdp per capita, Italy or South Africa?
- Italy, at 21.97 kilowatt-hours per person against 20.57 kilowatt-hours per person in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in per capita fossil energy consumption vs. gdp per capita between Italy and South Africa?
- 1.4 kilowatt-hours per person, with Italy ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and South Africa?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do Italy and South Africa rank globally for per capita fossil energy consumption vs. gdp per capita?
- Italy ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 39th of 76 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Per capita fossil energy consumption 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.