Share of electricity generation from nuclear in South Africa
South Africa: Share of electricity generation from nuclear was 4.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of electricity generation from nuclear 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 nuclear in South Africa stood at 4.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 33.5% on the previous year and down 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from nuclear in South Africa peaked at 6.8% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 2024.
South Africa ranks 26th of 207 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
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)
- 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 nuclear in South Africa?
- Share of electricity generation from 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 nuclear recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.8% in 1989.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from 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 nuclear?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 207 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from 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 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.