South Africa vs Taiwan: Primary energy use by source
South Africa
11.3 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Taiwan
12.2 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa rank
28th
Taiwan rank
25th
Primary energy use by source over time
- South Africa
- Taiwan
How they compare
Taiwan currently reports 12.2 terawatt-hours against 11.3 terawatt-hours in South Africa, a difference of 0.9 terawatt-hours.
That makes Taiwan's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Taiwan ahead.
South Africa ranks 28th and Taiwan ranks 25th of 79 groups.
Across the 7 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 2 and Taiwan in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Taiwan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1990s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 2000s | 0.0105 terawatt-hours | 0.226 terawatt-hours | 0.2155 terawatt-hours | Taiwan |
| 2010s | 2.86 terawatt-hours | 1.54 terawatt-hours | 1.32 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2020s | 9.79 terawatt-hours | 6.18 terawatt-hours | 3.6 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy use by source, South Africa or Taiwan?
- Taiwan, at 12.2 terawatt-hours against 11.3 terawatt-hours in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy use by source between South Africa and Taiwan?
- 0.9 terawatt-hours, with Taiwan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Taiwan?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Taiwan rank globally for primary energy use by source?
- South Africa ranks 28th and Taiwan ranks 25th of 79 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Primary energy use by source. 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.