Share of primary energy from solar and wind in South Africa
South Africa: Share of primary energy from solar and wind was 2.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of primary energy from solar and wind in South Africa, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of primary energy from solar and wind in South Africa stood at 2.1%. That is the highest value across all 61 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 417.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary energy from solar and wind in South Africa peaked at 2.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1965.
South Africa ranks 45th of 110 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of primary energy from solar and wind in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0.0% | — |
| 1966 | 0.0% | — |
| 1967 | 0.0% | — |
| 1968 | 0.0% | — |
| 1969 | 0.0% | — |
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1971 | 0.0% | — |
| 1972 | 0.0% | — |
| 1973 | 0.0% | — |
| 1974 | 0.0% | — |
| 1975 | 0.0% | — |
| 1976 | 0.0% | — |
| 1977 | 0.0% | — |
| 1978 | 0.0% | — |
| 1979 | 0.0% | — |
| 1980 | 0.0% | — |
| 1981 | 0.0% | — |
| 1982 | 0.0% | — |
| 1983 | 0.0% | — |
| 1984 | 0.0% | — |
| 1985 | 0.0% | — |
| 1986 | 0.0% | — |
| 1987 | 0.0% | — |
| 1988 | 0.0% | — |
| 1989 | 0.0% | — |
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1991 | 0.0% | — |
| 1992 | 0.0% | — |
| 1993 | 0.0% | — |
| 1994 | 0.0% | — |
| 1995 | 0.0% | — |
| 1996 | 0.0% | — |
| 1997 | 0.0% | — |
| 1998 | 0.0% | — |
| 1999 | 0.0% | — |
| 2000 | 0.0% | — |
| 2001 | 0.0% | +15.7% |
| 2002 | 0.0% | +17.8% |
| 2003 | 0.0% | +54.7% |
| 2004 | 0.0% | +29.9% |
| 2005 | 0.0% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 0.0% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 0.0% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 0.0% | +30.3% |
| 2009 | 0.0% | +31.9% |
| 2010 | 0.0% | +11.8% |
| 2011 | 0.0% | +96.5% |
| 2012 | 0.0% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 0.0% | +127.7% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | +685.4% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | +171.4% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | +27.0% |
| 2017 | 0.8% | +57.3% |
| 2018 | 0.8% | -7.3% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 0.9% | +20.0% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | +20.7% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | +32.5% |
| 2023 | 1.9% | +27.2% |
| 2024 | 2.0% | +7.5% |
| 2025 | 2.1% | +5.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 5 |
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 0.9% | 2.1% | 6 |
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)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (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)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 17.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary energy from solar and wind in South Africa?
- Share of primary energy from solar and wind in South Africa was 2.1% in 2025, according to Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary energy from solar and wind recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of primary energy from solar and wind recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1965.
- How does South Africa rank for share of primary energy from solar and wind?
- South Africa ranks 45th out of 110 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of primary energy from solar and wind rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 417.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary energy from solar and wind. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total energy supply.