India vs South Africa: Primary energy from fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables
India
1.5%
in 2025
South Africa
2.3%
in 2025
India rank
28th
South Africa rank
26th
Primary energy from fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables over time
- India
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 2.3% against 1.5% in India, a difference of 0.8%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.5 times India's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Africa ahead.
India ranks 28th and South Africa ranks 26th of 216 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, India averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | India |
| 1970s | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.6% | India |
| 1980s | 0.8% | 1.4% | 0.7% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 2.9% | 2.1% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 1.3% | 2.8% | 1.6% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 2.9% | 1.4% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 2.4% | 0.9% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy from fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables, India or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 2.3% against 1.5% in India as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy from fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables between India and South Africa?
- 0.8%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and South Africa?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do India and South Africa rank globally for primary energy from fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables?
- India ranks 28th and South Africa ranks 26th of 216 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 Primary energy from fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewables. 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.