South Africa vs Zimbabwe: Number of people without access to electricity
South Africa
6.27 million people
in 2024
Zimbabwe
6.32 million people
in 2024
South Africa rank
27th
Zimbabwe rank
26th
Number of people without access to electricity over time
- South Africa
- Zimbabwe
How they compare
Zimbabwe currently reports 6.32 million people against 6.27 million people in South Africa, a difference of 48,350 people.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 25 shared years of data; in 2000 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 27th and Zimbabwe ranks 26th of 214 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 2 and Zimbabwe in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Zimbabwe | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.47 million people | 7.91 million people | 2.56 million people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 8.60 million people | 8.50 million people | 103,443 people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 7.02 million people | 7.19 million people | 168,776 people | Zimbabwe |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people without access to electricity, South Africa or Zimbabwe?
- Zimbabwe, at 6.32 million people against 6.27 million people in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in number of people without access to electricity between South Africa and Zimbabwe?
- 48,350 people, with Zimbabwe ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Zimbabwe?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Zimbabwe rank globally for number of people without access to electricity?
- South Africa ranks 27th and Zimbabwe 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 without access to electricity. 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.