Coal consumption per person in South Africa
South Africa: Coal consumption per person was 15,640 kilowatt-hours per person in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
15,640 kilowatt-hours per person
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
5th
of 219 countries
All-time high
21,358 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2008
All-time low
14,246 kilowatt-hours per person
in 1969
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Coal consumption per person in South Africa, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours per person.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 15,640 kilowatt-hours per person for coal consumption per person in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, coal consumption per person in South Africa peaked at 21,358 kilowatt-hours per person in 2008 and was at its lowest, 14,246 kilowatt-hours per person, in 1969.
South Africa ranks 5th of 219 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Coal consumption per person in South Africa, year by year
| Year | kilowatt-hours per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 15,022 kilowatt-hours per person | — |
| 1966 | 14,379 kilowatt-hours per person | -4.3% |
| 1967 | 14,340 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 14,550 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.5% |
| 1969 | 14,246 kilowatt-hours per person | -2.1% |
| 1970 | 14,278 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 14,828 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.9% |
| 1972 | 14,510 kilowatt-hours per person | -2.1% |
| 1973 | 15,021 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.5% |
| 1974 | 15,298 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 15,882 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 16,230 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 16,365 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 15,466 kilowatt-hours per person | -5.5% |
| 1979 | 16,056 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 16,828 kilowatt-hours per person | +4.8% |
| 1981 | 19,281 kilowatt-hours per person | +14.6% |
| 1982 | 20,420 kilowatt-hours per person | +5.9% |
| 1983 | 20,028 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.9% |
| 1984 | 20,846 kilowatt-hours per person | +4.1% |
| 1985 | 20,706 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 20,333 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.8% |
| 1987 | 20,055 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 21,048 kilowatt-hours per person | +5.0% |
| 1989 | 19,074 kilowatt-hours per person | -9.4% |
| 1990 | 19,214 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 18,441 kilowatt-hours per person | -4.0% |
| 1992 | 18,181 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 17,893 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 18,172 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 18,628 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 18,671 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 18,856 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 18,069 kilowatt-hours per person | -4.2% |
| 1999 | 18,675 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 18,405 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 18,312 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 17,256 kilowatt-hours per person | -5.8% |
| 2003 | 17,829 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 18,676 kilowatt-hours per person | +4.8% |
| 2005 | 19,316 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 20,398 kilowatt-hours per person | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 20,789 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 21,358 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 19,817 kilowatt-hours per person | -7.2% |
| 2010 | 20,033 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 18,841 kilowatt-hours per person | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 19,477 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 19,031 kilowatt-hours per person | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 18,025 kilowatt-hours per person | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 17,234 kilowatt-hours per person | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 17,550 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 16,266 kilowatt-hours per person | -7.3% |
| 2018 | 16,975 kilowatt-hours per person | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 17,813 kilowatt-hours per person | +4.9% |
| 2020 | 15,965 kilowatt-hours per person | -10.4% |
| 2021 | 15,574 kilowatt-hours per person | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 14,557 kilowatt-hours per person | -6.5% |
| 2023 | 15,133 kilowatt-hours per person | +4.0% |
| 2024 | 16,133 kilowatt-hours per person | +6.6% |
| 2025 | 15,640 kilowatt-hours per person | -3.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 15,640 kilowatt-hours per person is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 187.01 kilowatt-hours per person, 83.6× the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14,508 kilowatt-hours per person | 14,246 kilowatt-hours per person | 15,022 kilowatt-hours per person | 5 |
| 1970s | 15,393 kilowatt-hours per person | 14,278 kilowatt-hours per person | 16,365 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 19,862 kilowatt-hours per person | 16,828 kilowatt-hours per person | 21,048 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 18,480 kilowatt-hours per person | 17,893 kilowatt-hours per person | 19,214 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 19,216 kilowatt-hours per person | 17,256 kilowatt-hours per person | 21,358 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 18,124 kilowatt-hours per person | 16,266 kilowatt-hours per person | 20,033 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 15,501 kilowatt-hours per person | 14,557 kilowatt-hours per person | 16,133 kilowatt-hours per person | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 2 Estonia 18,970 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 3 Bosnia and Herzegovina 18,866 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 4 China 18,093 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 6 Taiwan 15,405 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 7 South Korea 15,352 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 8 Australia 15,029 kilowatt-hours per person compare
More energy & mining data for South Africa
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.3095 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 17.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is coal consumption per person in South Africa?
- Coal consumption per person in South Africa was 15,640 kilowatt-hours per person in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest coal consumption per person recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 21,358 kilowatt-hours per person in 2008.
- What is the lowest coal consumption per person recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 14,246 kilowatt-hours per person in 1969.
- How does South Africa rank for coal consumption per person?
- South Africa ranks 5th out of 219 countries with data for 2025.
- Is coal consumption per person rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Coal consumption per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in kilowatt-hours per person.