Canada vs South Africa: Year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. low-carbon energy
Canada
10.82 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa
9.85 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Canada rank
12th
South Africa rank
13th
Year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. low-carbon energy over time
- Canada
- South Africa
How they compare
Canada currently reports 10.82 terawatt-hours against 9.85 terawatt-hours in South Africa, a difference of 0.97 terawatt-hours.
That makes Canada's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 26 times across 60 shared years of data; in 1966 it was Canada ahead.
Canada ranks 12th and South Africa ranks 13th of 80 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.44 terawatt-hours | -0.004 terawatt-hours | 8.45 terawatt-hours | Canada |
| 1970s | 20.28 terawatt-hours | 0.1123 terawatt-hours | 20.17 terawatt-hours | Canada |
| 1980s | 18.63 terawatt-hours | 3.52 terawatt-hours | 15.1 terawatt-hours | Canada |
| 1990s | 5.35 terawatt-hours | 0.3831 terawatt-hours | 4.97 terawatt-hours | Canada |
| 2000s | 8.77 terawatt-hours | 0.1753 terawatt-hours | 8.6 terawatt-hours | Canada |
| 2010s | 9.63 terawatt-hours | 1.49 terawatt-hours | 8.14 terawatt-hours | Canada |
| 2020s | -7.32 terawatt-hours | 1.54 terawatt-hours | 8.87 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. low-carbon energy, Canada or South Africa?
- Canada, at 10.82 terawatt-hours against 9.85 terawatt-hours in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. low-carbon energy between Canada and South Africa?
- 0.97 terawatt-hours, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and South Africa?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1966 to 2025.
- How do Canada and South Africa rank globally for year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. low-carbon energy?
- Canada ranks 12th and South Africa ranks 13th of 80 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Year-to-year change in primary energy from fossil fuels vs. low-carbon energy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Change in total energy supply relative to the previous year, measured in terawatt-hours.