Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in South Africa
South Africa: Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas was 92.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in South Africa, 1996–2024
Source: SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in South Africa is 92.4%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.8% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in South Africa peaked at 96.0% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 84.2%, in 1998.
South Africa ranks 175th of 212 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 85.3% | — |
| 1997 | 85.4% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 84.2% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 85.6% | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 85.6% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 85.7% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 85.7% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 87.7% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 85.7% | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 85.8% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 85.9% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 86.0% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 86.1% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 86.3% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 86.4% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 86.5% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 86.7% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 86.8% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 86.9% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 87.0% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 87.1% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 87.2% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 87.2% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 87.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 87.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 87.4% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 87.1% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 96.0% | +10.2% |
| 2024 | 92.4% | -3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 85.1% | 84.2% | 85.6% | 4 |
| 2000s | 86.0% | 85.6% | 87.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.9% | 86.4% | 87.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.0% | 87.1% | 96.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 172 Côte d'Ivoire 94.3% compare
- 173 Mauritania 94.2% compare
- 174 Guinea 93.6% compare
- 176 Eswatini 92.1% compare
- 177 Vanuatu 90.1% compare
- 178 Equatorial Guinea 89.3% compare
More energy & mining data for South Africa
- Fuel imports 17.7% (2025)
- Ores and metals imports 2.5% (2025)
- Ores and metals exports 30.3% (2025)
- Gas production 0.6284 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 9.82 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 0.6284 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Gas production per person 9.82 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Gas production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in South Africa?
- Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in South Africa was 92.4% in 2024, according to SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 96.0% in 2023.
- What is the lowest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.2% in 1998.
- How does South Africa rank for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas?
- South Africa ranks 175th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The definition used in international statistics adopts a very low cutoff for what it means to ‘have access to electricity’. It is defined as having an electricity source that can provide very basic lighting, and charge a phone or power a radio for 4 hours per day.