South Africa is an upper-middle-income economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, with its capital at Pretoria. 90.2% of its people had electricity in 2024.
South Africa2024
Sub-Saharan Africa2024
World2024
| Economy | Oil | Coal | Gas | Hydro | Nuclear | Solar, wind & other | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 1.2% | 85.0% | 0.0% | 2.6% | 3.4% | 3.7% | 2024 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 5.0% | 42.9% | 14.0% | 29.9% | 2.5% | 4.3% | 2024 |
| World | 2.3% | 34.5% | 21.9% | 14.6% | 9.8% | 12.4% | 2024 |
Share of electricity production by source, latest year available. Shares may not sum to exactly 100% because of rounding and minor sources.
% of population, compared with Sub-Saharan Africa and the world.
| Year | South Africa | World | Sub-Saharan Africa |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 90.2% | 91.9% | 55.1% |
| 2023 | 87.7% | 91.6% | 53.3% |
| 2022 | 86.5% | 91.3% | 51.5% |
| 2021 | 89.3% | 91.3% | 50.7% |
| 2020 | 90.0% | 90.4% | 48.5% |
| 2019 | 85.0% | 90.1% | 47.2% |
| 2018 | 84.7% | 89.8% | 46.4% |
| 2017 | 84.4% | 88.9% | 43.8% |
| 2016 | 83.9% | 88.1% | 43.8% |
| 2015 | 85.3% | 86.9% | 39.2% |
| 2014 | 85.9% | 86.2% | 38.4% |
| 2013 | 85.2% | 85.7% | 38.0% |
| 2012 | 85.2% | 84.9% | 36.8% |
| 2011 | 83.6% | 84.5% | 35.9% |
| 2010 | 82.8% | 83.5% | 33.3% |
| 2009 | 82.6% | 82.9% | 32.6% |
| 2008 | 81.9% | 82.7% | 32.4% |
| 2007 | 82.0% | 82.0% | 32.5% |
| 2006 | 80.7% | 81.4% | 31.2% |
| 2005 | 80.8% | 80.7% | 29.4% |
| 2004 | 80.6% | 80.0% | 29.4% |
| 2003 | 78.8% | 80.0% | 29.6% |
| 2002 | 76.7% | 79.1% | 27.3% |
| 2001 | 70.2% | 78.7% | 26.2% |
| 2000 | 72.4% | 78.2% | 25.7% |
| 1999 | 71.3% | 74.5% | 30.1% |
| 1998 | 64.9% | 73.2% | 28.6% |
| 1997 | 69.5% | – | 28.4% |
| 1996 | 57.6% | – | 28.5% |
| Measure | Latest | Year | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crude oil production | 0 thousand b/d | 2025 | 92 of 99 |
| Oil consumption | 612 thousand b/d | 2024 | 30 of 216 |
| Gas production | 0.1 bcm | 2024 | 80 of 97 |
| Gas consumption | 3.9 bcm | 2024 | 67 of 126 |
| Coal production | 237 million tonnes | 2024 | 7 of 67 |
| Electricity generation | 243 TWh | 2024 | 22 of 211 |
| Renewable generation | 32.0 TWh | 2024 | 39 of 206 |
| Primary energy consumption | 5.39 quad Btu | 2024 | 20 of 215 |
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics.
South Africa generated 243 TWh of electricity in 2025, 18% of it from low-carbon sources, at 699 grams of CO₂ per kWh.
Source: Ember, yearly electricity data (CC BY 4.0).
CO₂ per person, tonnes, excluding land use.
| Year | South Africa | World | Sub-Saharan Africa |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6.88 t | 4.69 t | 0.70 t |
| 2023 | 6.76 t | 4.68 t | 0.70 t |
| 2022 | 6.88 t | 4.67 t | 0.72 t |
| 2021 | 7.29 t | 4.68 t | 0.75 t |
| 2020 | 7.44 t | 4.47 t | 0.73 t |
| 2019 | 8.01 t | 4.70 t | 0.79 t |
| 2018 | 8.08 t | 4.73 t | 0.80 t |
| 2017 | 8.15 t | 4.67 t | 0.80 t |
| 2016 | 8.04 t | 4.65 t | 0.81 t |
| 2015 | 8.15 t | 4.70 t | 0.82 t |
| 2014 | 8.75 t | 4.78 t | 0.86 t |
| 2013 | 8.69 t | 4.81 t | 0.85 t |
| 2012 | 8.58 t | 4.77 t | 0.82 t |
| 2011 | 8.38 t | 4.76 t | 0.82 t |
| 2010 | 8.87 t | 4.67 t | 0.84 t |
| 2009 | 8.83 t | 4.45 t | 0.82 t |
| 2008 | 9.55 t | 4.56 t | 0.89 t |
| 2007 | 9.10 t | 4.59 t | 0.86 t |
| 2006 | 8.81 t | 4.48 t | 0.86 t |
| 2005 | 8.82 t | 4.39 t | 0.89 t |
| 2004 | 8.69 t | 4.28 t | 0.89 t |
| 2003 | 8.11 t | 4.15 t | 0.86 t |
| 2002 | 7.72 t | 4.02 t | 0.84 t |
| 2001 | 7.51 t | 4.01 t | 0.85 t |
| 2000 | 7.36 t | 4.01 t | 0.85 t |
| 1999 | 7.29 t | 3.95 t | 0.85 t |
| 1998 | 7.73 t | 3.98 t | 0.89 t |
| 1997 | 7.69 t | 4.02 t | 0.91 t |
| 1996 | 7.45 t | 4.01 t | 0.90 t |
| 1995 | 7.30 t | 3.99 t | 0.87 t |
16.49 ZAR
per US dollar, mid-market reference. 1 ZAR = ₦80.74
6.7 kWh/m² today
Open-Meteo forecast, modelled irradiation.
Power plants
104 plants, 50,423 MW recorded in WRI’s Global Power Plant Database.
Snapshot as of the database’s 2021 release; newer plants are not included. Nameplate capacity, not available generation.
| Plant | Fuel | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kendal power station | Coal | 4,116 | 1990 |
| Majuba power station | Coal | 4,110 | 1999 |
| Matimba power station | Coal | 3,990 | 1989 |
| Lethabo power station | Coal | 3,708 | 1987 |
| Tutuka power station | Coal | 3,654 | 1987 |
| Duvha power station | Coal | 3,600 | 1982 |
| Matla power station | Coal | 3,600 | 1981 |
| Kriel power station | Coal | 3,000 | 1978 |
| Arnot power station | Coal | 2,352 | 1973 |
| Hendrina power station | Coal | 2,000 | 1973 |
| Koeberg | Nuclear | 1,800 | 1984 |
| Camden power station | Coal | 1,600 | 1968 |
All indicators
| Indicator | South Africa | Year | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access to electricity % of population | 90.2% | 2024 | 55.1% | 91.9% |
| Access to electricity, rural % of rural population | 86.3% | 2024 | 35.7% | 84.9% |
| Access to electricity, urban % of urban population | 92.4% | 2024 | 82.9% | 97.8% |
| Access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking % of population | 90.0% | 2024 | 22.9% | 75.4% |
| Indicator | South Africa | Year | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity production from coal % of total | 85.0% | 2024 | 42.9% | 34.5% |
| Electricity production from natural gas % of total | 0.0% | 2021 | 14.0% | 21.9% |
| Electricity production from oil % of total | 1.2% | 2024 | 5.0% | 2.3% |
| Electricity production from nuclear % of total | 3.4% | 2024 | 2.5% | 9.8% |
| Electricity production from hydroelectric sources % of total | 2.6% | 2024 | 29.9% | 14.6% |
| Electric power transmission and distribution losses % of output | 9.8% | 2024 | 13.4% | 6.9% |
| Electric power consumption per capita kWh per capita | 3,308 kWh | 2024 | 380 kWh | 3,708 kWh |
| Indicator | South Africa | Year | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity production from renewables, excluding hydro % of total | 3.7% | 2021 | 4.3% | 12.4% |
| Renewable electricity output % of total electricity output | 6.4% | 2021 | 32.6% | 27.8% |
| Renewable energy consumption % of total final energy consumption | 9.7% | 2021 | 70.3% | 19.7% |
| CO₂ emissions per capita (excluding LULUCF) t CO₂e per capita | 6.88 t | 2024 | 0.70 t | 4.69 t |
| CO₂ emissions, total (excluding LULUCF) Mt CO₂e | 440.2 Mt | 2024 | 896.3 Mt | 39,632.7 Mt |
| Energy intensity of primary energy MJ per $2017 PPP GDP | 6.57 MJ/$ | 2021 | 6.14 MJ/$ | 4.54 MJ/$ |
| Indicator | South Africa | Year | Sub-Saharan Africa | World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel exports % of merchandise exports | 8.2% | 2025 | 40.9% | 9.5% |
| Oil rents % of GDP | 0.40% | 2021 | 3.80% | 1.36% |
| Natural gas rents % of GDP | 0.03% | 2021 | 0.49% | 0.52% |
| GDP per capita current US$ | 6,598 | 2025 | 1,673 | 14,406 |
| Population, total people | 64.7M | 2025 | 1.3B | 8.2B |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0). Latest year available per series.
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