France vs South Africa: Number of people with and without electricity access

France
68.55 million people
in 2024
South Africa
57.73 million people
in 2024
France rank
21st
South Africa rank
23rd

Number of people with and without electricity access over time

  • France
  • South Africa
020.0M40.0M60.0M199020072024

How they compare

France currently reports 68.55 million people against 57.73 million people in South Africa, a difference of 10.82 million people.

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

Across all 29 years both countries report, France has been ahead every year.

France ranks 21st and South Africa ranks 23rd of 214 countries.

France has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade France South Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 60.10 million people 30.26 million people 29.84 million people France
2000s 62.90 million people 38.84 million people 24.05 million people France
2010s 66.31 million people 47.32 million people 18.99 million people France
2020s 68.11 million people 55.31 million people 12.80 million people France

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of people with and without electricity access, France or South Africa?
France, at 68.55 million people against 57.73 million people in South Africa as of 2024.
What is the difference in number of people with and without electricity access between France and South Africa?
10.82 million people, with France ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for France and South Africa?
29 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2024.
How do France and South Africa rank globally for number of people with and without electricity access?
France ranks 21st 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.

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France vs South Africa: Number of people with and without electricity access. Statizoid, drawing on Data compiled from multiple sources by the World Bank – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://energy.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-people-with-and-without-electricity-access/france/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people with and without electricity access
Unit
people
Source
Data compiled from multiple sources by the World Bank – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
214 places, 6,702 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

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.