South Africa vs Spain: Number of people with and without electricity access
South Africa
57.73 million people
in 2024
Spain
48.85 million people
in 2024
South Africa rank
23rd
Spain rank
26th
Number of people with and without electricity access over time
- South Africa
- Spain
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 57.73 million people against 48.85 million people in Spain, a difference of 8.89 million people.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Spain's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 29 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Spain ahead.
South Africa ranks 23rd and Spain ranks 26th of 214 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 2 and Spain in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 30.26 million people | 40.14 million people | 9.88 million people | Spain |
| 2000s | 38.84 million people | 43.36 million people | 4.51 million people | Spain |
| 2010s | 47.32 million people | 46.65 million people | 666,520 people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 55.31 million people | 47.96 million people | 7.35 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, South Africa or Spain?
- South Africa, at 57.73 million people against 48.85 million people in Spain as of 2024.
- What is the difference in number of people with and without electricity access between South Africa and Spain?
- 8.89 million people, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Spain?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Spain rank globally for number of people with and without electricity access?
- South Africa ranks 23rd and Spain ranks 26th 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.