Share of energy used in agriculture, forestry and fishing in South Africa
South Africa: Share of energy used in agriculture, forestry and fishing was 3.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of energy used in agriculture, forestry and fishing in South Africa, 1990–2023
Source: United Nations Statistics Division (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, share of energy used in agriculture, forestry and fishing in South Africa stood at 3.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.9% on the previous year and down 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of energy used in agriculture, forestry and fishing in South Africa peaked at 7.3% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 1990.
South Africa ranks 60th of 175 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Share of energy used in agriculture, forestry and fishing in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.8% | — |
| 1991 | 2.1% | +13.8% |
| 1992 | 2.5% | +22.7% |
| 1993 | 2.8% | +9.9% |
| 1994 | 3.1% | +12.3% |
| 1995 | 2.9% | -7.2% |
| 1996 | 3.0% | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 2.7% | -9.3% |
| 1998 | 3.1% | +14.7% |
| 1999 | 3.6% | +17.0% |
| 2000 | 3.2% | -13.1% |
| 2001 | 3.4% | +5.9% |
| 2002 | 3.4% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 3.3% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 2.9% | -9.4% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 2.5% | -5.9% |
| 2009 | 2.4% | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 2.9% | +21.3% |
| 2011 | 3.4% | +18.6% |
| 2012 | 3.4% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 3.6% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 3.7% | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 3.7% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 7.2% | +92.1% |
| 2017 | 7.3% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 3.6% | -51.3% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 3.4% | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 3.6% | +6.3% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | -14.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.8% | 1.8% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 2.4% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.2% | 2.9% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 4 |
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 energy used in agriculture, forestry and fishing in South Africa?
- Share of energy used in agriculture, forestry and fishing in South Africa was 3.1% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of energy used in agriculture, forestry and fishing recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 7.3% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of energy used in agriculture, forestry and fishing recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 1990.
- How does South Africa rank for share of energy used in agriculture, forestry and fishing?
- South Africa ranks 60th out of 175 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of energy used in agriculture, forestry and fishing rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of energy used in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Energy consumed by agriculture, forestry and fishing as a percentage of total final energy consumption.