South Africa vs United Arab Emirates: Electricity generation from solar
South Africa
19.48 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United Arab Emirates
15.21 terawatt-hours
in 2024
South Africa rank
19th
United Arab Emirates rank
22nd
Electricity generation from solar over time
- South Africa
- United Arab Emirates
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 19.48 terawatt-hours against 15.21 terawatt-hours in United Arab Emirates, a difference of 4.27 terawatt-hours.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.3 times United Arab Emirates's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 54 shared years of data; in 1971 it was United Arab Emirates ahead.
South Africa ranks 19th and United Arab Emirates ranks 22nd 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 | United Arab Emirates | 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 | 0.669 terawatt-hours | 1.38 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2020s | 11.68 terawatt-hours | 9.76 terawatt-hours | 1.92 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 United Arab Emirates?
- South Africa, at 19.48 terawatt-hours against 15.21 terawatt-hours in United Arab Emirates as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from solar between South Africa and United Arab Emirates?
- 4.27 terawatt-hours, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United Arab Emirates?
- 54 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and United Arab Emirates rank globally for electricity generation from solar?
- South Africa ranks 19th and United Arab Emirates ranks 22nd 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.