Electricity generation per person in South Africa

South Africa: Electricity generation per person was 3,749 kilowatt-hours in 2025. β–¬ Flat

Latest (2025)
3,749 kilowatt-hours
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
85th
of 210 countries
All-time high
5,215 kilowatt-hours
in 2007
All-time low
3,685 kilowatt-hours
in 2023
Years of data
41
1985–2025

Electricity generation per person in South Africa, 1985–2025

02.0k4.0k6.0k1985200520251985: 4.1k kilowatt-hours1986: 4.1k kilowatt-hours1987: 4.1k kilowatt-hours1988: 4.1k kilowatt-hours1989: 4.1k kilowatt-hours1990: 4.1k kilowatt-hours1991: 4.0k kilowatt-hours1992: 4.0k kilowatt-hours1993: 4.0k kilowatt-hours1994: 4.1k kilowatt-hours1995: 4.2k kilowatt-hours1996: 4.4k kilowatt-hours1997: 4.6k kilowatt-hours1998: 4.4k kilowatt-hours1999: 4.3k kilowatt-hours2000: 4.5k kilowatt-hours2001: 4.4k kilowatt-hours2002: 4.6k kilowatt-hours2003: 4.8k kilowatt-hours2004: 5.0k kilowatt-hours2005: 4.9k kilowatt-hours2006: 5.1k kilowatt-hours2007: 5.2k kilowatt-hours2008: 5.1k kilowatt-hours2009: 4.8k kilowatt-hours2010: 5.0k kilowatt-hours2011: 5.0k kilowatt-hours2012: 4.8k kilowatt-hours2013: 4.7k kilowatt-hours2014: 4.6k kilowatt-hours2015: 4.4k kilowatt-hours2016: 4.4k kilowatt-hours2017: 4.4k kilowatt-hours2018: 4.4k kilowatt-hours2019: 4.2k kilowatt-hours2020: 4.0k kilowatt-hours2021: 4.0k kilowatt-hours2022: 3.8k kilowatt-hours2023: 3.7k kilowatt-hours2024: 3.9k kilowatt-hours2025: 3.7k kilowatt-hours

Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 3,749 kilowatt-hours for electricity generation per person in 2025.

That represents a change of down 3.0% on the previous year and down 14.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, electricity generation per person in South Africa peaked at 5,215 kilowatt-hours in 2007 and was at its lowest, 3,685 kilowatt-hours, in 2023.

South Africa ranks 85th of 210 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 4,101 kilowatt-hours 4,082 kilowatt-hours 4,122 kilowatt-hours 5
1990s 4,228 kilowatt-hours 3,960 kilowatt-hours 4,606 kilowatt-hours 10
2000s 4,842 kilowatt-hours 4,417 kilowatt-hours 5,215 kilowatt-hours 10
2010s 4,584 kilowatt-hours 4,247 kilowatt-hours 4,959 kilowatt-hours 10
2020s 3,850 kilowatt-hours 3,685 kilowatt-hours 3,991 kilowatt-hours 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 82 American Samoa 3,847 kilowatt-hours compare
  2. 83 Croatia 3,820 kilowatt-hours compare
  3. 84 North Macedonia 3,760 kilowatt-hours compare
  4. 86 Georgia 3,546 kilowatt-hours compare
  5. 87 Uruguay 3,528 kilowatt-hours compare
  6. 88 Brazil 3,527 kilowatt-hours compare

See the full ranking of 214 places β†’

More energy & mining data for South Africa

All data for South Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is electricity generation per person in South Africa?
Electricity generation per person in South Africa was 3,749 kilowatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest electricity generation per person recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 5,215 kilowatt-hours in 2007.
What is the lowest electricity generation per person recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 3,685 kilowatt-hours in 2023.
How does South Africa rank for electricity generation per person?
South Africa ranks 85th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
Is electricity generation per person rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
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 Electricity generation per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Electricity generation per person in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://energy.statizoid.com/stat/per-capita-electricity-generation/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Electricity generation per person
Unit
kilowatt-hours
Source
Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
214 places, 6,642 data points, 1920–2025
Last refreshed

Measured in kilowatt-hours per person.