Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear in South Africa
South Africa: Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear was 4.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear in South Africa, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of electricity generation from fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear in South Africa is 4.2%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 33.5% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear in South Africa peaked at 6.8% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 2024.
That places South Africa 26th out of 207 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 3.7% | — |
| 1986 | 5.9% | +60.3% |
| 1987 | 4.0% | -31.8% |
| 1988 | 6.6% | +63.9% |
| 1989 | 6.8% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 5.1% | -25.6% |
| 1991 | 5.4% | +7.5% |
| 1992 | 5.5% | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 4.2% | -24.8% |
| 1994 | 5.3% | +28.5% |
| 1995 | 6.1% | +13.4% |
| 1996 | 5.9% | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 6.0% | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 6.6% | +10.2% |
| 1999 | 6.3% | -4.5% |
| 2000 | 6.2% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 5.1% | -17.4% |
| 2002 | 5.4% | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 5.4% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 5.5% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 4.6% | -15.7% |
| 2006 | 4.0% | -14.3% |
| 2007 | 4.3% | +8.7% |
| 2008 | 5.0% | +17.2% |
| 2009 | 5.1% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 5.2% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 4.9% | -5.7% |
| 2012 | 5.0% | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 5.5% | +9.6% |
| 2014 | 5.4% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 4.9% | -9.6% |
| 2016 | 5.9% | +21.5% |
| 2017 | 5.6% | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 4.5% | -18.8% |
| 2019 | 5.2% | +15.9% |
| 2020 | 4.1% | -21.5% |
| 2021 | 5.0% | +22.3% |
| 2022 | 4.2% | -16.1% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | -17.7% |
| 2024 | 3.2% | -9.4% |
| 2025 | 4.2% | +33.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.4% | 3.7% | 6.8% | 5 |
| 1990s | 5.6% | 4.2% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.1% | 4.0% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.2% | 4.5% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 3.2% | 5.0% | 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)
- 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 share of electricity generation from fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear in South Africa?
- Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear in South Africa was 4.2% in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity generation from fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.8% in 1989.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for share of electricity generation from fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 207 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels, renewables and nuclear. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.