Portugal vs South Africa: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources
Portugal
41.39 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa
43.31 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Portugal rank
38th
South Africa rank
36th
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources over time
- Portugal
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 43.31 terawatt-hours against 41.39 terawatt-hours in Portugal, a difference of 1.92 terawatt-hours.
The two have swapped places 21 times across 55 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Portugal ahead.
Portugal ranks 38th and South Africa ranks 36th of 214 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Portugal averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Portugal | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8.16 terawatt-hours | 1.23 terawatt-hours | 6.93 terawatt-hours | Portugal |
| 1980s | 8.9 terawatt-hours | 6.04 terawatt-hours | 2.86 terawatt-hours | Portugal |
| 1990s | 10.84 terawatt-hours | 11.79 terawatt-hours | 0.9471 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
| 2000s | 14.15 terawatt-hours | 14.13 terawatt-hours | 0.018 terawatt-hours | Portugal |
| 2010s | 26.89 terawatt-hours | 19.87 terawatt-hours | 7.02 terawatt-hours | Portugal |
| 2020s | 34.21 terawatt-hours | 34.87 terawatt-hours | 0.6567 terawatt-hours | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from low-carbon sources, Portugal or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 43.31 terawatt-hours against 41.39 terawatt-hours in Portugal as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from low-carbon sources between Portugal and South Africa?
- 1.92 terawatt-hours, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and South Africa?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2025.
- How do Portugal and South Africa rank globally for electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- Portugal ranks 38th 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.