Colombia vs South Africa: Number of people with and without electricity access
Colombia
52.30 million people
in 2024
South Africa
57.73 million people
in 2024
Colombia rank
24th
South Africa rank
23rd
Number of people with and without electricity access over time
- Colombia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 57.73 million people against 52.30 million people in Colombia, a difference of 5.43 million people.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Colombia's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Colombia ahead.
Colombia ranks 24th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 214 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Colombia averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Colombia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35.11 million people | 30.26 million people | 4.85 million people | Colombia |
| 2000s | 40.12 million people | 38.84 million people | 1.27 million people | Colombia |
| 2010s | 46.02 million people | 47.32 million people | 1.29 million people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 51.47 million people | 55.31 million people | 3.84 million people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people with and without electricity access, Colombia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 57.73 million people against 52.30 million people in Colombia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in number of people with and without electricity access between Colombia and South Africa?
- 5.43 million people, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Colombia and South Africa?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2024.
- How do Colombia and South Africa rank globally for number of people with and without electricity access?
- Colombia ranks 24th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 214 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Data compiled from multiple sources by the World Bank – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people with and without electricity access. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Access to electricity means having an electricity source that can provide very basic lighting, and charge a phone or power a radio for 4 hours per day.