Fossil fuel consumption per person in South Africa
South Africa: Fossil fuel consumption per person was 20,570 kilowatt-hours per person in 2025. ▲ Rising
Fossil fuel 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
The most recent figure for fossil fuel consumption per person in South Africa is 20,570 kilowatt-hours per person, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fossil fuel consumption per person in South Africa peaked at 27,882 kilowatt-hours per person in 2008 and was at its lowest, 18,096 kilowatt-hours per person, in 1966.
South Africa ranks 70th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18,452 kilowatt-hours per person | 18,096 kilowatt-hours per person | 18,687 kilowatt-hours per person | 5 |
| 1970s | 20,627 kilowatt-hours per person | 18,914 kilowatt-hours per person | 21,672 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 24,824 kilowatt-hours per person | 21,780 kilowatt-hours per person | 26,070 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 24,035 kilowatt-hours per person | 23,194 kilowatt-hours per person | 24,609 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 25,592 kilowatt-hours per person | 23,313 kilowatt-hours per person | 27,882 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 24,625 kilowatt-hours per person | 22,723 kilowatt-hours per person | 26,598 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 20,653 kilowatt-hours per person | 19,814 kilowatt-hours per person | 21,143 kilowatt-hours per person | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 67 Finland 21,919 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 68 Mongolia 21,132 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 69 Panama 21,101 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 71 Slovenia 20,561 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 72 Slovakia 20,366 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 73 Croatia 20,151 kilowatt-hours per person 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)
- 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 per person in South Africa?
- Fossil fuel consumption per person in South Africa was 20,570 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 fossil fuel consumption per person recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 27,882 kilowatt-hours per person in 2008.
- What is the lowest fossil fuel consumption per person recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 18,096 kilowatt-hours per person in 1966.
- How does South Africa rank for fossil fuel consumption per person?
- South Africa ranks 70th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is fossil fuel consumption per person rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.6%. 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 per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and gas.