Access to electricity urban vs rural in South Africa
South Africa: Access to electricity urban vs rural was 92.4 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
92.4
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
175th
of 212 countries
All-time high
96
in 2023
All-time low
84.2
in 1998
Years of data
29
1996–2024
Access to electricity urban vs rural in South Africa, 1996–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for access to electricity urban vs rural 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 urban vs rural in South Africa peaked at 96 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 urban vs rural in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 85.3 | — |
| 1997 | 85.42 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 84.2 | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 85.59 | +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 | +0.1% |
| 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 | +0.1% |
| 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 | +10.2% |
| 2024 | 92.4 | -3.7% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 92.4 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 100, 92% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 92.4 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 85.35, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 85.13 | 84.2 | 85.59 | 4 |
| 2000s | 86.05 | 85.6 | 87.7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.91 | 86.4 | 87.3 | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.04 | 87.1 | 96 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 172 Cote 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
- Ores and metals imports 2.5% (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)
- Gas production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity urban vs rural in South Africa?
- Access to electricity urban vs rural in South Africa was 92.4 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest access to electricity urban vs rural recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 96 in 2023.
- What is the lowest access to electricity urban vs rural recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.2 in 1998.
- How does South Africa rank for access to electricity urban vs rural?
- South Africa ranks 175th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity urban vs rural 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Access to electricity urban vs rural. 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).