New Zealand vs South Africa: Share of primary energy from solar and wind
New Zealand
1.8%
in 2025
South Africa
2.1%
in 2025
New Zealand rank
47th
South Africa rank
45th
Share of primary energy from solar and wind over time
- New Zealand
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 2.1% against 1.8% in New Zealand, a difference of 0.3%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times New Zealand's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Africa ahead.
New Zealand ranks 47th and South Africa ranks 45th of 110 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| 1990s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.5% | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.6% | 0.2% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of primary energy from solar and wind, New Zealand or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 2.1% against 1.8% in New Zealand as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of primary energy from solar and wind between New Zealand and South Africa?
- 0.3%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and South Africa?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do New Zealand and South Africa rank globally for share of primary energy from solar and wind?
- New Zealand ranks 47th and South Africa ranks 45th of 110 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 Share of primary energy from solar and wind. 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 energy supply.