Share of electricity generation from coal in South Africa
South Africa: Share of electricity generation from coal was 81.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of electricity generation from coal in South Africa, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of electricity generation from coal in South Africa stood at 81.4%. That is the lowest value across all 41 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from coal in South Africa peaked at 95.0% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 81.4%, in 2025.
South Africa ranks 3rd of 210 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 92.2% | 90.4% | 94.4% | 5 |
| 1990s | 92.7% | 91.3% | 95.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 94.0% | 93.1% | 94.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 91.2% | 89.0% | 93.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 84.4% | 81.4% | 88.9% | 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 56.31 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from coal in South Africa?
- Share of electricity generation from coal in South Africa was 81.4% 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 coal recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 95.0% in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from coal recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 81.4% in 2025.
- How does South Africa rank for share of electricity generation from coal?
- South Africa ranks 3rd out of 210 groups with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from coal rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity generation from coal. 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.