Cameroon vs South Africa: Number of people without access to electricity
Cameroon
8.15 million people
in 2024
South Africa
6.27 million people
in 2024
Cameroon rank
24th
South Africa rank
27th
Number of people without access to electricity over time
- Cameroon
- South Africa
How they compare
Cameroon currently reports 8.15 million people against 6.27 million people in South Africa, a difference of 1.88 million people.
That makes Cameroon's figure about 1.3 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1996 it was South Africa ahead.
Cameroon ranks 24th and South Africa ranks 27th of 214 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Cameroon averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Cameroon | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.47 million people | 15.67 million people | 7.20 million people | South Africa |
| 2000s | 8.92 million people | 10.47 million people | 1.54 million people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 9.39 million people | 8.60 million people | 786,647 people | Cameroon |
| 2020s | 8.56 million people | 7.02 million people | 1.54 million people | Cameroon |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people without access to electricity, Cameroon or South Africa?
- Cameroon, at 8.15 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 Cameroon and South Africa?
- 1.88 million people, with Cameroon ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Cameroon and South Africa?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2024.
- How do Cameroon and South Africa rank globally for number of people without access to electricity?
- Cameroon ranks 24th and South Africa ranks 27th 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.