South Africa vs Vietnam: Electricity generation from solar
South Africa
19.48 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Vietnam
23.04 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa rank
19th
Vietnam rank
16th
Electricity generation from solar over time
- South Africa
- Vietnam
How they compare
Vietnam currently reports 23.04 terawatt-hours against 19.48 terawatt-hours in South Africa, a difference of 3.56 terawatt-hours.
That makes Vietnam's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 55 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Vietnam ahead.
South Africa ranks 19th and Vietnam ranks 16th of 214 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 2 and Vietnam in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Vietnam | 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 terawatt-hours | 0.016 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2010s | 2.05 terawatt-hours | 0.492 terawatt-hours | 1.56 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2020s | 12.98 terawatt-hours | 22.88 terawatt-hours | 9.9 terawatt-hours | Vietnam |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from solar, South Africa or Vietnam?
- Vietnam, at 23.04 terawatt-hours against 19.48 terawatt-hours in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from solar between South Africa and Vietnam?
- 3.56 terawatt-hours, with Vietnam ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Vietnam?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Vietnam rank globally for electricity generation from solar?
- South Africa ranks 19th and Vietnam ranks 16th 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.