Malaysia vs South Africa: Primary energy use
Malaysia
1,346 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa
1,398 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Malaysia rank
24th
South Africa rank
22nd
Primary energy use over time
- Malaysia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1,398 terawatt-hours against 1,346 terawatt-hours in Malaysia, a difference of 52 terawatt-hours.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Africa ahead.
Malaysia ranks 24th and South Africa ranks 22nd of 219 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 38.82 terawatt-hours | 375.31 terawatt-hours | 336.49 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1970s | 67.96 terawatt-hours | 526.04 terawatt-hours | 458.08 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1980s | 165.51 terawatt-hours | 873.25 terawatt-hours | 707.74 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1990s | 386.52 terawatt-hours | 1,092 terawatt-hours | 705.83 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2000s | 767.94 terawatt-hours | 1,304 terawatt-hours | 535.6 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1,075 terawatt-hours | 1,423 terawatt-hours | 347.95 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2020s | 1,264 terawatt-hours | 1,353 terawatt-hours | 88.78 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy use, Malaysia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 1,398 terawatt-hours against 1,346 terawatt-hours in Malaysia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy use between Malaysia and South Africa?
- 52 terawatt-hours, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and South Africa?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do Malaysia and South Africa rank globally for primary energy use?
- Malaysia ranks 24th and South Africa ranks 22nd of 219 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Primary energy use. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.