South Africa vs Taiwan, China: Electricity generation from solar
South Africa
19.48 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Taiwan, China
15.68 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa rank
19th
Taiwan, China rank
21st
Electricity generation from solar over time
- South Africa
- Taiwan, China
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 19.48 terawatt-hours against 15.68 terawatt-hours in Taiwan, China, a difference of 3.8 terawatt-hours.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Taiwan, China's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 55 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Taiwan, China ahead.
South Africa ranks 19th and Taiwan, China ranks 21st of 214 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Taiwan, China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 0.016 terawatt-hours | 0.001 terawatt-hours | 0.015 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2010s | 2.05 terawatt-hours | 1.14 terawatt-hours | 0.905 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2020s | 12.98 terawatt-hours | 11.37 terawatt-hours | 1.61 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from solar, South Africa or Taiwan, China?
- South Africa, at 19.48 terawatt-hours against 15.68 terawatt-hours in Taiwan, China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from solar between South Africa and Taiwan, China?
- 3.8 terawatt-hours, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Taiwan, China?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Taiwan, China rank globally for electricity generation from solar?
- South Africa ranks 19th and Taiwan, China ranks 21st of 214 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026); Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Pinto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Electricity generation from solar. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.