Fossil fuel consumption in South Africa
South Africa: Fossil fuel consumption was 1,332 terawatt-hours in 2025. β² Rising
Fossil fuel consumption in South Africa, 1965β2025
Source: Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources β 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 216 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.
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
- 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 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 β 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 216 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 β 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 Β· JSON β 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.