Share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access in South Africa
South Africa: Share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access was 86.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access in South Africa, 1996–2024
Source: SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of rural population.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 86.3% for share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access in 2024.
That represents a change of down 8.2% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access in South Africa peaked at 95.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 23.8%, in 1996.
That places South Africa 155th out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 23.8% | — |
| 1997 | 49.7% | +108.7% |
| 1998 | 40.4% | -18.6% |
| 1999 | 52.9% | +30.9% |
| 2000 | 54.9% | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 49.4% | -10.0% |
| 2002 | 64.3% | +30.2% |
| 2003 | 66.3% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 73.2% | +10.4% |
| 2005 | 73.4% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 72.9% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 75.9% | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 75.3% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 76.7% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 76.9% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 78.6% | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 82.6% | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 82.4% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 84.1% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 82.1% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 77.9% | -5.1% |
| 2017 | 79.1% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 79.7% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 80.4% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 95.5% | +18.8% |
| 2021 | 93.4% | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 93.4% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 94.0% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 86.3% | -8.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 41.7% | 23.8% | 52.9% | 4 |
| 2000s | 68.2% | 49.4% | 76.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.4% | 76.9% | 84.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 92.5% | 86.3% | 95.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 152 Philippines 88.5% compare
- 153 Eswatini 88.3% compare
- 154 Comoros 88.2% compare
- 156 Micronesia, Federated States of 86.0% compare
- 157 Afghanistan 84.6% compare
- 158 Ghana 82.6% compare
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 rural vs. urban population with electricity access in South Africa?
- Share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access in South Africa was 86.3% in 2024, according to SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 95.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.8% in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access?
- South Africa ranks 155th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Having access to electricity is defined in international statistics as having an electricity source that can provide very basic lighting, and charge a phone or power a radio for 4 hours per day.