Electricity demand per person in South Africa
South Africa: Electricity demand per person was 3,658 kilowatt-hours in 2025. βΌ Falling
Electricity demand per person in South Africa, 2000β2025
Source: Ember (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) β with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 3,658 kilowatt-hours for electricity demand per person in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.9% on the previous year and down 16.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity demand per person in South Africa peaked at 5,152 kilowatt-hours in 2007 and was at its lowest, 3,658 kilowatt-hours, in 2025.
That places South Africa 89th out of 210 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4,839 kilowatt-hours | 4,463 kilowatt-hours | 5,152 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,510 kilowatt-hours | 4,160 kilowatt-hours | 4,912 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,806 kilowatt-hours | 3,658 kilowatt-hours | 3,933 kilowatt-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)
- 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 electricity demand per person in South Africa?
- Electricity demand per person in South Africa was 3,658 kilowatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) β with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity demand per person recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5,152 kilowatt-hours in 2007.
- What is the lowest electricity demand per person recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,658 kilowatt-hours in 2025.
- How does South Africa rank for electricity demand per person?
- South Africa ranks 89th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity demand per person rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity demand per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in kilowatt-hours per person.