South Africa vs United Arab Emirates: Primary energy use
South Africa
1,398 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United Arab Emirates
1,460 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa rank
22nd
United Arab Emirates rank
20th
Primary energy use over time
- South Africa
- United Arab Emirates
How they compare
United Arab Emirates currently reports 1,460 terawatt-hours against 1,398 terawatt-hours in South Africa, a difference of 62 terawatt-hours.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 22nd and United Arab Emirates ranks 20th of 219 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United Arab Emirates | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 375.31 terawatt-hours | 4.22 terawatt-hours | 371.09 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1970s | 526.04 terawatt-hours | 31.12 terawatt-hours | 494.92 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1980s | 873.25 terawatt-hours | 202.43 terawatt-hours | 670.82 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1,092 terawatt-hours | 463.91 terawatt-hours | 628.44 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2000s | 1,304 terawatt-hours | 710.35 terawatt-hours | 593.19 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1,423 terawatt-hours | 1,138 terawatt-hours | 285.05 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2020s | 1,353 terawatt-hours | 1,322 terawatt-hours | 30.56 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy use, South Africa or United Arab Emirates?
- United Arab Emirates, at 1,460 terawatt-hours against 1,398 terawatt-hours in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy use between South Africa and United Arab Emirates?
- 62 terawatt-hours, with United Arab Emirates ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United Arab Emirates?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and United Arab Emirates rank globally for primary energy use?
- South Africa ranks 22nd and United Arab Emirates ranks 20th 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) β 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.