India vs South Africa: Share of electricity generation from coal
India
70.8%
in 2025
South Africa
81.4%
in 2025
India rank
4th
South Africa rank
3rd
Share of electricity generation from coal over time
- India
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 81.4% against 70.8% in India, a difference of 10.6%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times India's.
Across all 41 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
India ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 3rd of 210 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 66.2% | 92.2% | 26.1% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 68.2% | 92.7% | 24.5% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 68.5% | 94.0% | 25.5% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 74.0% | 91.2% | 17.2% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 73.9% | 84.4% | 10.6% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of electricity generation from coal, India or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 81.4% against 70.8% in India as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of electricity generation from coal between India and South Africa?
- 10.6%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and South Africa?
- 41 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2025.
- How do India and South Africa rank globally for share of electricity generation from coal?
- India ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 3rd of 210 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of electricity generation from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.