Malaysia vs South Africa: Electricity generation from fossil fuels, nuclear and renewables

Malaysia
159.56 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Africa
199.45 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Malaysia rank
18th
South Africa rank
15th

Electricity generation from fossil fuels, nuclear and renewables over time

  • Malaysia
  • South Africa
050100150200250198520052025

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 199.45 terawatt-hours against 159.56 terawatt-hours in Malaysia, a difference of 39.89 terawatt-hours.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Malaysia's.

Across all 41 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

Malaysia ranks 18th and South Africa ranks 15th of 208 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Malaysia South Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 13.14 terawatt-hours 141.17 terawatt-hours 128.03 terawatt-hours South Africa
1990s 39.62 terawatt-hours 172.87 terawatt-hours 133.25 terawatt-hours South Africa
2000s 87.83 terawatt-hours 224.9 terawatt-hours 137.06 terawatt-hours South Africa
2010s 131.47 terawatt-hours 235.93 terawatt-hours 104.46 terawatt-hours South Africa
2020s 150.32 terawatt-hours 206.56 terawatt-hours 56.24 terawatt-hours South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher electricity generation from fossil fuels, nuclear and renewables, Malaysia or South Africa?
South Africa, at 199.45 terawatt-hours against 159.56 terawatt-hours in Malaysia as of 2025.
What is the difference in electricity generation from fossil fuels, nuclear and renewables between Malaysia and South Africa?
39.89 terawatt-hours, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and South Africa?
41 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2025.
How do Malaysia and South Africa rank globally for electricity generation from fossil fuels, nuclear and renewables?
Malaysia ranks 18th and South Africa ranks 15th of 208 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 fossil fuels, nuclear and renewables. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Electricity generation from fossil fuels, nuclear and renewables
Unit
terawatt-hours
Source
Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
210 places, 6,017 data points, 1920–2025
Last refreshed

Electricity generation from coal, oil, and gas, measured in terawatt-hours.