China vs South Africa: Production- vs. consumption-based energy use per person
China
28.1 kilowatt-hours
in 2020
South Africa
21.8 kilowatt-hours
in 2020
China rank
36th
South Africa rank
39th
Production- vs. consumption-based energy use per person over time
- China
- South Africa
How they compare
China currently reports 28.1 kilowatt-hours against 21.8 kilowatt-hours in South Africa, a difference of 6.3 kilowatt-hours.
That makes China's figure about 1.3 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 26 shared years of data; in 1995 it was South Africa ahead.
China ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 39th of 43 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.02 kilowatt-hours | 23.26 kilowatt-hours | 14.24 kilowatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2000s | 12.46 kilowatt-hours | 22.97 kilowatt-hours | 10.51 kilowatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2010s | 21.99 kilowatt-hours | 21.52 kilowatt-hours | 0.47 kilowatt-hours | China |
| 2020s | 28.1 kilowatt-hours | 21.8 kilowatt-hours | 6.3 kilowatt-hours | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher production- vs. consumption-based energy use per person, China or South Africa?
- China, at 28.1 kilowatt-hours against 21.8 kilowatt-hours in South Africa as of 2020.
- What is the difference in production- vs. consumption-based energy use per person between China and South Africa?
- 6.3 kilowatt-hours, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Africa?
- 26 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2020.
- How do China and South Africa rank globally for production- vs. consumption-based energy use per person?
- China ranks 36th and South Africa ranks 39th of 43 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Production- vs. consumption-based energy use per person. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Consumption-based (trade-adjusted) energy use measures domestic energy use minus energy used to produce exported goods, plus energy used to produce imported goods. Measured in megawatt-hours.