Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati) in South Africa
South Africa: Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati) was 1,332 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1,332 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
18th
of 220 countries
All-time high
1,427 terawatt-hours
in 2019
All-time low
354.12 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Fossil fuel consumption 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 terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fossil fuel consumption in South Africa is 1,332 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fossil fuel consumption in South Africa peaked at 1,427 terawatt-hours in 2019 and was at its lowest, 354.12 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
That places South Africa 18th out of 220 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.
Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 354.12 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 356.32 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 371.08 terawatt-hours | +4.1% |
| 1968 | 391.64 terawatt-hours | +5.5% |
| 1969 | 403.25 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 1970 | 421.4 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 1971 | 453.69 terawatt-hours | +7.7% |
| 1972 | 466.56 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1973 | 501.69 terawatt-hours | +7.5% |
| 1974 | 515.75 terawatt-hours | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 550.1 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 1976 | 572.05 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 1977 | 586.01 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 580.37 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 1979 | 601.72 terawatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 642.93 terawatt-hours | +6.8% |
| 1981 | 747.04 terawatt-hours | +16.2% |
| 1982 | 805.71 terawatt-hours | +7.9% |
| 1983 | 817.69 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 882.73 terawatt-hours | +8.0% |
| 1985 | 897.63 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 901.92 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 924.17 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 1988 | 1,003 terawatt-hours | +8.5% |
| 1989 | 956.07 terawatt-hours | -4.7% |
| 1990 | 1,003 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 990.45 terawatt-hours | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 998.46 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 1,004 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 1,039 terawatt-hours | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 1,084 terawatt-hours | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 1,102 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 1,123 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 1,101 terawatt-hours | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 1,145 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 2000 | 1,144 terawatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 1,155 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 1,119 terawatt-hours | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 1,162 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 1,237 terawatt-hours | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 1,289 terawatt-hours | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 1,361 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 1,399 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 1,425 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 1,347 terawatt-hours | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 1,392 terawatt-hours | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 1,347 terawatt-hours | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 1,405 terawatt-hours | +4.3% |
| 2013 | 1,401 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 1,361 terawatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 1,366 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 1,373 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 1,310 terawatt-hours | -4.6% |
| 2018 | 1,365 terawatt-hours | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 1,427 terawatt-hours | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 1,280 terawatt-hours | -10.3% |
| 2021 | 1,286 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 1,236 terawatt-hours | -3.9% |
| 2023 | 1,292 terawatt-hours | +4.6% |
| 2024 | 1,346 terawatt-hours | +4.1% |
| 2025 | 1,332 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1,332 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 83.1 terawatt-hours, 16.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1,332 terawatt-hours is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 17.75 terawatt-hours, 75.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 375.28 terawatt-hours | 354.12 terawatt-hours | 403.25 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 524.93 terawatt-hours | 421.4 terawatt-hours | 601.72 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 857.91 terawatt-hours | 642.93 terawatt-hours | 1,003 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,059 terawatt-hours | 990.45 terawatt-hours | 1,145 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,264 terawatt-hours | 1,119 terawatt-hours | 1,425 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,375 terawatt-hours | 1,310 terawatt-hours | 1,427 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,296 terawatt-hours | 1,236 terawatt-hours | 1,346 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More energy & mining data for South Africa
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- 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)
- Fuel imports 17.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fossil fuel consumption in South Africa?
- Fossil fuel consumption in South Africa was 1,332 terawatt-hours 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 fossil fuel consumption recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1,427 terawatt-hours in 2019.
- What is the lowest fossil fuel consumption recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 354.12 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does South Africa rank for fossil fuel consumption?
- South Africa ranks 18th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is fossil fuel consumption rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. 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 Fossil fuel consumption. 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 terawatt-hours. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and gas.