South Africa vs Thailand: Primary energy use
South Africa
1,398 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Thailand
1,391 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa rank
22nd
Thailand rank
23rd
Primary energy use over time
- South Africa
- Thailand
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1,398 terawatt-hours against 1,391 terawatt-hours in Thailand, a difference of 7 terawatt-hours.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 22nd and Thailand ranks 23rd of 219 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 6 and Thailand in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Thailand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 375.31 terawatt-hours | 41.54 terawatt-hours | 333.77 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1970s | 526.04 terawatt-hours | 101.36 terawatt-hours | 424.68 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1980s | 873.25 terawatt-hours | 189.77 terawatt-hours | 683.48 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1,092 terawatt-hours | 553.52 terawatt-hours | 538.83 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2000s | 1,304 terawatt-hours | 947.35 terawatt-hours | 356.18 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1,423 terawatt-hours | 1,349 terawatt-hours | 73.81 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2020s | 1,353 terawatt-hours | 1,392 terawatt-hours | 39.36 terawatt-hours | Thailand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy use, South Africa or Thailand?
- South Africa, at 1,398 terawatt-hours against 1,391 terawatt-hours in Thailand as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy use between South Africa and Thailand?
- 7 terawatt-hours, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Thailand?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Thailand rank globally for primary energy use?
- South Africa ranks 22nd and Thailand ranks 23rd 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.