Energy intensity in South Africa
South Africa: Energy intensity was 1.79 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
1.79
Change on year
down 5.7%
World rank
21st
of 165 countries
All-time high
4.46
in 1988
All-time low
1.79
in 2022
Years of data
58
1965–2022
Energy intensity in South Africa, 1965–2022
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.79 for energy intensity in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 58 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.7% on the previous year and down 18.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, energy intensity in South Africa peaked at 4.46 in 1988 and was at its lowest, 1.79, in 2022.
That places South Africa 21st out of 165 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 58 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3 | 2.89 | 3.14 | 5 |
| 1970s | 3.08 | 2.87 | 3.27 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.96 | 3.15 | 4.46 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.99 | 3.54 | 4.38 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.85 | 2.42 | 3.33 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.09 | 1.93 | 2.36 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.88 | 1.79 | 1.97 | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 18 Canada 1.87 compare
- 19 Equatorial Guinea 1.83 compare
- 20 Mozambique 1.79 compare
- 22 Barbados 1.74 compare
- 23 Belarus 1.73 compare
- 24 Saudi Arabia 1.71 compare
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 energy intensity in South Africa?
- Energy intensity in South Africa was 1.79 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest energy intensity recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.46 in 1988.
- What is the lowest energy intensity recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.79 in 2022.
- How does South Africa rank for energy intensity?
- South Africa ranks 21st out of 165 countries with data for 2022.
- Is energy intensity rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Energy intensity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 58 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).