Number of people with and without electricity access, per capita in South Africa
South Africa: Number of people with and without electricity access, per capita was 0.902 units per person in 2024. ▲ Rising
Number of people with and without electricity access, per capita in South Africa, 1996–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per person.
Analysis
In 2024, number of people with and without electricity access, per capita in South Africa stood at 0.902 units per person. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people with and without electricity access, per capita in South Africa peaked at 0.902 units per person in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.576 units per person, in 1996.
South Africa ranks 160th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Number of people with and without electricity access, per capita in South Africa, year by year
| Year | units per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.576 units per person | — |
| 1997 | 0.6948 units per person | +20.6% |
| 1998 | 0.649 units per person | -6.6% |
| 1999 | 0.7133 units per person | +9.9% |
| 2000 | 0.724 units per person | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 0.702 units per person | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 0.767 units per person | +9.3% |
| 2003 | 0.788 units per person | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 0.806 units per person | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 0.808 units per person | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 0.807 units per person | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.82 units per person | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 0.819 units per person | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 0.826 units per person | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 0.828 units per person | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 0.836 units per person | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 0.852 units per person | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 0.852 units per person | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.859 units per person | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 0.853 units per person | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 0.839 units per person | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 0.844 units per person | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 0.847 units per person | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 0.85 units per person | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 0.9 units per person | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 0.893 units per person | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 0.865 units per person | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 0.877 units per person | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 0.902 units per person | +2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.6583 units per person | 0.576 units per person | 0.7133 units per person | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.7867 units per person | 0.702 units per person | 0.826 units per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.846 units per person | 0.828 units per person | 0.859 units per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8874 units per person | 0.865 units per person | 0.902 units per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More energy & mining data for South Africa
- 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)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 17.7% (2025)
- Ores and metals imports 2.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people with and without electricity access, per capita in South Africa?
- Number of people with and without electricity access, per capita in South Africa was 0.902 units per person in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest number of people with and without electricity access, per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.902 units per person in 2024.
- What is the lowest number of people with and without electricity access, per capita recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.576 units per person in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for number of people with and without electricity access, per capita?
- South Africa ranks 160th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of people with and without electricity access, per capita rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Number of people with and without electricity access, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Number of people with and without electricity access divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Number of people with and without electricity access ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Number of people with and without electricity access Data compiled from multiple sources by the World Bank – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Number of people with and without electricity access divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.