South Africa vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Electricity generation from solar
South Africa
19.48 terawatt-hours
in 2025
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
19.32 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa rank
19th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
20th
Electricity generation from solar over time
- South Africa
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 19.48 terawatt-hours against 19.32 terawatt-hours in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a difference of 0.16 terawatt-hours.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 55 shared years of data; in 1971 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
South Africa ranks 19th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 20th of 214 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 1 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0.0004 terawatt-hours | 0.0004 terawatt-hours | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1990s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 2000s | 0.016 terawatt-hours | 0.007 terawatt-hours | 0.009 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2010s | 2.05 terawatt-hours | 6.22 terawatt-hours | 4.17 terawatt-hours | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2020s | 12.98 terawatt-hours | 14.34 terawatt-hours | 1.36 terawatt-hours | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from solar, South Africa or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- South Africa, at 19.48 terawatt-hours against 19.32 terawatt-hours in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from solar between South Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 0.16 terawatt-hours, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for electricity generation from solar?
- South Africa ranks 19th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 20th 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.