Primary energy use in South Africa
South Africa: Primary energy use was 1,398 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1,398 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
22nd
of 219 countries
All-time high
1,484 terawatt-hours
in 2019
All-time low
354.16 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Primary energy use in South Africa, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary energy use in South Africa is 1,398 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use in South Africa peaked at 1,484 terawatt-hours in 2019 and was at its lowest, 354.16 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
That places South Africa 22nd out of 219 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Primary energy use in South Africa, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 354.16 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 356.36 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 371.1 terawatt-hours | +4.1% |
| 1968 | 391.66 terawatt-hours | +5.5% |
| 1969 | 403.27 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 1970 | 421.43 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 1971 | 453.81 terawatt-hours | +7.7% |
| 1972 | 467.4 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 502.68 terawatt-hours | +7.5% |
| 1974 | 516.88 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 551.22 terawatt-hours | +6.6% |
| 1976 | 573.93 terawatt-hours | +4.1% |
| 1977 | 587.96 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 582.27 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 1979 | 602.86 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 643.92 terawatt-hours | +6.8% |
| 1981 | 748.69 terawatt-hours | +16.3% |
| 1982 | 806.73 terawatt-hours | +7.8% |
| 1983 | 818.29 terawatt-hours | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 895.18 terawatt-hours | +9.4% |
| 1985 | 914.36 terawatt-hours | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 930.22 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 944.48 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 1,038 terawatt-hours | +9.9% |
| 1989 | 992.46 terawatt-hours | -4.4% |
| 1990 | 1,029 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 1991 | 1,020 terawatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 1,027 terawatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 1,026 terawatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 1,069 terawatt-hours | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 1,119 terawatt-hours | +4.6% |
| 1996 | 1,139 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 1,164 terawatt-hours | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 1,144 terawatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 1,185 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 1,186 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 1,190 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 1,160 terawatt-hours | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 1,203 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2004 | 1,280 terawatt-hours | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 1,326 terawatt-hours | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 1,396 terawatt-hours | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 1,438 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 1,468 terawatt-hours | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 1,389 terawatt-hours | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 1,436 terawatt-hours | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 1,391 terawatt-hours | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 1,447 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 1,447 terawatt-hours | -0.0% |
| 2014 | 1,409 terawatt-hours | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 1,411 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 1,428 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 1,366 terawatt-hours | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 1,411 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 1,484 terawatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 2020 | 1,332 terawatt-hours | -10.2% |
| 2021 | 1,343 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 1,292 terawatt-hours | -3.8% |
| 2023 | 1,348 terawatt-hours | +4.3% |
| 2024 | 1,402 terawatt-hours | +4.1% |
| 2025 | 1,398 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1,398 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 87.51 terawatt-hours, 16.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1,398 terawatt-hours is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.78 terawatt-hours, 67.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 375.31 terawatt-hours | 354.16 terawatt-hours | 403.27 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 526.04 terawatt-hours | 421.43 terawatt-hours | 602.86 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 873.25 terawatt-hours | 643.92 terawatt-hours | 1,038 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,092 terawatt-hours | 1,020 terawatt-hours | 1,185 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,304 terawatt-hours | 1,160 terawatt-hours | 1,468 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,423 terawatt-hours | 1,366 terawatt-hours | 1,484 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,353 terawatt-hours | 1,292 terawatt-hours | 1,402 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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 primary energy use in South Africa?
- Primary energy use in South Africa was 1,398 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary energy use recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1,484 terawatt-hours in 2019.
- What is the lowest primary energy use recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 354.16 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does South Africa rank for primary energy use?
- South Africa ranks 22nd out of 219 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary energy use rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. 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); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.