Annual change in primary energy from coal in South Africa
South Africa: Annual change in primary energy from coal was -19.99 terawatt-hours in 2025. β Volatile
Annual change in primary energy from coal in South Africa, 1966β2025
Source: Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) β with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
South Africa recorded -19.99 terawatt-hours for annual change in primary energy from coal in 2025.
The figure is down 126.3% on the previous year and up 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in primary energy from coal in South Africa peaked at 92.13 terawatt-hours in 1981 and was at its lowest, -94.53 terawatt-hours, in 2020.
That places South Africa 72nd out of 79 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.29 terawatt-hours | -3.63 terawatt-hours | 13.62 terawatt-hours | 4 |
| 1970s | 15.18 terawatt-hours | -12.76 terawatt-hours | 28.72 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 29.61 terawatt-hours | -54.05 terawatt-hours | 92.13 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.68 terawatt-hours | -25.86 terawatt-hours | 37.47 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.24 terawatt-hours | -66.6 terawatt-hours | 63.88 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.63 terawatt-hours | -67.42 terawatt-hours | 66.46 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | -8.13 terawatt-hours | -94.53 terawatt-hours | 76.04 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More energy & mining data for South Africa
- Fuel imports 17.7% (2025)
- Ores and metals imports 2.5% (2025)
- Ores and metals exports 30.3% (2025)
- Gas production 0.6284 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 9.82 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 0.6284 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Gas production per person 9.82 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel exports 8.2% (2025)
- Electric power transmission and distribution losses 10.2% (2023)
- Share of dietary energy supply from carbohydrates vs gdp per capita 56.31 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in primary energy from coal in South Africa?
- Annual change in primary energy from coal in South Africa was -19.99 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) β with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in primary energy from coal recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 92.13 terawatt-hours in 1981.
- What is the lowest annual change in primary energy from coal recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -94.53 terawatt-hours in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for annual change in primary energy from coal?
- South Africa ranks 72nd out of 79 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual change in primary energy from coal rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change in primary energy from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Change in total energy supply relative to the previous year, measured in terawatt-hours.