South Africa vs USSR: Share of primary energy that is low-carbon vs. GDP per capita
South Africa
4.7%
in 2025
USSR
4.4%
in 1984
South Africa rank
61st
USSR rank
62nd
Share of primary energy that is low-carbon vs. GDP per capita over time
- South Africa
- USSR
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 4.7% against 4.4% in USSR, a difference of 0.3%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times USSR's.
Across all 20 years both countries report, USSR has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 61st and USSR ranks 62nd of 80 countries.
USSR has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0% | 1.4% | 1.4% | USSR |
| 1970s | 0.2% | 2.0% | 1.8% | USSR |
| 1980s | 0.4% | 3.6% | 3.2% | USSR |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of primary energy that is low-carbon vs. gdp per capita, South Africa or USSR?
- South Africa, at 4.7% against 4.4% in USSR as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of primary energy that is low-carbon vs. gdp per capita between South Africa and USSR?
- 0.3%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and USSR?
- 20 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 1984.
- How do South Africa and USSR rank globally for share of primary energy that is low-carbon vs. gdp per capita?
- South Africa ranks 61st and USSR ranks 62nd of 80 countries.
- Where does this data 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 Share of primary energy that is low-carbon vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total energy supply.