Malaysia vs South Africa: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources
Malaysia
41.53 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa
43.31 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Malaysia rank
37th
South Africa rank
36th
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources over time
- Malaysia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 43.31 terawatt-hours against 41.53 terawatt-hours in Malaysia, a difference of 1.78 terawatt-hours.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 55 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Malaysia ahead.
Malaysia ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 36th of 214 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1 terawatt-hours | 1.23 terawatt-hours | 0.2234 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1980s | 3.36 terawatt-hours | 6.04 terawatt-hours | 2.69 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 1990s | 5.17 terawatt-hours | 11.79 terawatt-hours | 6.62 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2000s | 6.88 terawatt-hours | 14.13 terawatt-hours | 7.25 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2010s | 17.64 terawatt-hours | 19.87 terawatt-hours | 2.23 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2020s | 36.32 terawatt-hours | 34.87 terawatt-hours | 1.45 terawatt-hours | Malaysia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from low-carbon sources, Malaysia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 43.31 terawatt-hours against 41.53 terawatt-hours in Malaysia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from low-carbon sources between Malaysia and South Africa?
- 1.78 terawatt-hours, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and South Africa?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2025.
- How do Malaysia and South Africa rank globally for electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- Malaysia ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 36th of 214 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Electricity generation from low-carbon sources. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours. Low-carbon sources correspond to renewables and nuclear power, that produce significantly less greenhouse-gas emissions than fossil fuels. Renewables include solar, wind, hydropower, bioenergy, geothermal, wave, and tidal.