Energy embedded in traded goods as a share of domestic energy in South Africa
South Africa: Energy embedded in traded goods as a share of domestic energy was -30.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Energy embedded in traded goods as a share of domestic energy in South Africa, 1995–2020
Source: Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, energy embedded in traded goods as a share of domestic energy in South Africa stood at -30.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.1% on the previous year and down 45.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, energy embedded in traded goods as a share of domestic energy in South Africa peaked at -7.7% in 1995 and was at its lowest, -34.7%, in 2017.
South Africa ranks 43rd of 43 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Energy embedded in traded goods as a share of domestic energy in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | -7.7% | — |
| 1996 | -21.3% | +177.4% |
| 1997 | -22.5% | +5.9% |
| 1998 | -23.7% | +5.3% |
| 1999 | -23.3% | -1.8% |
| 2000 | -28.7% | +23.2% |
| 2001 | -30.0% | +4.6% |
| 2002 | -31.9% | +6.4% |
| 2003 | -23.8% | -25.5% |
| 2004 | -20.2% | -15.1% |
| 2005 | -20.7% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | -19.9% | -3.7% |
| 2007 | -18.4% | -7.7% |
| 2008 | -24.0% | +30.8% |
| 2009 | -18.5% | -22.9% |
| 2010 | -21.2% | +14.4% |
| 2011 | -19.4% | -8.2% |
| 2012 | -20.3% | +4.6% |
| 2013 | -22.3% | +9.6% |
| 2014 | -25.6% | +15.0% |
| 2015 | -23.4% | -8.9% |
| 2016 | -25.1% | +7.4% |
| 2017 | -34.7% | +38.4% |
| 2018 | -30.6% | -11.7% |
| 2019 | -28.7% | -6.3% |
| 2020 | -30.7% | +7.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | -19.7% | -23.7% | -7.7% | 5 |
| 2000s | -23.6% | -31.9% | -18.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | -25.1% | -34.7% | -19.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | -30.7% | -30.7% | -30.7% | 1 |
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 energy embedded in traded goods as a share of domestic energy in South Africa?
- Energy embedded in traded goods as a share of domestic energy in South Africa was -30.7% in 2020, according to Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest energy embedded in traded goods as a share of domestic energy recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was -7.7% in 1995.
- What is the lowest energy embedded in traded goods as a share of domestic energy recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -34.7% in 2017.
- How does South Africa rank for energy embedded in traded goods as a share of domestic energy?
- South Africa ranks 43rd out of 43 countries with data for 2020.
- Is energy embedded in traded goods as a share of domestic energy rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Energy embedded in traded goods as a share of domestic energy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Net energy embedded in traded goods is the difference in energy embedded in exported goods, and imported goods. A positive value means that a country is a net importer; a negative means it's a net exporter. This is given as a percentage of a country's domestic energy use.