Primary energy use in South Africa
South Africa: Primary energy use was 1,398 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
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
South Africa recorded 1,398 terawatt-hours for primary energy use 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.
South Africa ranks 21st of 218 countries on this measure, 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 | 375.31 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
- 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 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 21st out of 218 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
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.