Alternative and nuclear energy (% of total energy use) in South Africa
South Africa: Alternative and nuclear energy (% of total energy use) was 3.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Alternative and nuclear energy in South Africa, 1990–2024
Source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA). Measured in % of total energy use.
Analysis
In 2024, alternative and nuclear energy in South Africa stood at 3.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% on the previous year and up 18.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, alternative and nuclear energy in South Africa peaked at 4.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1993.
That places South Africa 93rd out of 151 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Alternative and nuclear energy (% of total energy use) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of total energy use | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.5% | — |
| 1991 | 2.7% | +8.4% |
| 1992 | 2.8% | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 2.0% | -28.2% |
| 1994 | 2.6% | +32.2% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | +8.0% |
| 1996 | 2.9% | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 3.1% | +6.8% |
| 1998 | 3.3% | +4.2% |
| 1999 | 3.1% | -5.8% |
| 2000 | 3.2% | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | -11.7% |
| 2002 | 3.3% | +16.8% |
| 2003 | 3.0% | -9.9% |
| 2004 | 2.9% | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | -11.2% |
| 2006 | 2.4% | -8.4% |
| 2007 | 2.3% | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 2.5% | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 2.6% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | +8.9% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | -8.9% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | +18.0% |
| 2014 | 2.9% | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 3.0% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 3.6% | +20.9% |
| 2017 | 3.6% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 3.4% | -6.6% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | +8.9% |
| 2020 | 3.4% | -8.4% |
| 2021 | 4.0% | +18.7% |
| 2022 | 4.0% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 3.6% | -10.7% |
| 2024 | 3.5% | -3.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 3.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.0%, 49% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 3.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.0%, 1.7× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.0% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 2.3% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.1% | 2.5% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.7% | 3.4% | 4.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More energy & mining data for South Africa
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -0.3095 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fuel imports 17.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is alternative and nuclear energy in South Africa?
- Alternative and nuclear energy in South Africa was 3.5% in 2024, according to IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA).
- What is the highest alternative and nuclear energy recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest alternative and nuclear energy recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1993.
- How does South Africa rank for alternative and nuclear energy?
- South Africa ranks 93rd out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
- Is alternative and nuclear energy rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), published as part of Alternative and nuclear energy (% of total energy use). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Clean energy is noncarbohydrate energy that does not produce carbon dioxide when generated. It includes hydropower and nuclear, geothermal, and solar power, among others. This is the share of total energy supply that is non-fossil.