Annual change in primary energy from solar in South Africa
South Africa: Annual change in primary energy from solar was 1.18 terawatt-hours in 2025. β Volatile
Annual change in primary energy from solar 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
In 2025, annual change in primary energy from solar in South Africa stood at 1.18 terawatt-hours.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 66.2% on the previous year and down 29.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in primary energy from solar in South Africa peaked at 4.35 terawatt-hours in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0 terawatt-hours, in 1966.
That places South Africa 31st out of 80 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 4 |
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0023 terawatt-hours | 0.0015 terawatt-hours | 0.0093 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4859 terawatt-hours | 0.0043 terawatt-hours | 1.67 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.28 terawatt-hours | 0.8841 terawatt-hours | 4.35 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)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gas production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in primary energy from solar in South Africa?
- Annual change in primary energy from solar in South Africa was 1.18 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 solar recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.35 terawatt-hours in 2023.
- What is the lowest annual change in primary energy from solar recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 terawatt-hours in 1966.
- How does South Africa rank for annual change in primary energy from solar?
- South Africa ranks 31st out of 80 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual change in primary energy from solar rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.5%. 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 solar. 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.