Electricity demand in South Africa
South Africa: Electricity demand was 236.84 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
236.84 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
23rd
of 214 countries
All-time high
260.34 terawatt-hours
in 2007
All-time low
212.29 terawatt-hours
in 2001
Years of data
26
2000–2025
Electricity demand in South Africa, 2000–2025
Source: Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 236.84 terawatt-hours for electricity demand in 2025.
That represents a change of down 3.8% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity demand in South Africa peaked at 260.34 terawatt-hours in 2007 and was at its lowest, 212.29 terawatt-hours, in 2001.
South Africa ranks 23rd of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 238.77 terawatt-hours | 212.29 terawatt-hours | 260.34 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 251.63 terawatt-hours | 246.82 terawatt-hours | 259.41 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 238.66 terawatt-hours | 232.4 terawatt-hours | 246.22 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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)
- Fuel exports 8.2% (2025)
- Electric power transmission and distribution losses 10.2% (2023)
- Share of dietary energy supply from carbohydrates vs. GDP per capita 56.3% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity demand in South Africa?
- Electricity demand in South Africa was 236.84 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity demand recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 260.34 terawatt-hours in 2007.
- What is the lowest electricity demand recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 212.29 terawatt-hours in 2001.
- How does South Africa rank for electricity demand?
- South Africa ranks 23rd out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity demand rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity demand. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.