Access to basic services in South Africa
South Africa: Access to basic services was 90.2 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to basic services in South Africa, 1996–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, access to basic services in South Africa stood at 90.2. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 5.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to basic services in South Africa peaked at 90.2 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 57.6, in 1996.
That places South Africa 160th out of 214 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.
Access to basic services in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 57.6 | — |
| 1997 | 69.48 | +20.6% |
| 1998 | 64.9 | -6.6% |
| 1999 | 71.33 | +9.9% |
| 2000 | 72.4 | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 70.2 | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 76.7 | +9.3% |
| 2003 | 78.8 | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 80.6 | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 80.8 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 80.7 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 82 | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 81.9 | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 82.6 | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 82.8 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 83.6 | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 85.2 | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 85.2 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 85.9 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 85.3 | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 83.9 | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 84.4 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 84.7 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 85 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 90 | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 89.3 | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 86.5 | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 87.7 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 90.2 | +2.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 90.2 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 100, 90% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 90.2 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 57.8, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 65.83 | 57.6 | 71.33 | 4 |
| 2000s | 78.67 | 70.2 | 82.6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 84.6 | 82.8 | 85.9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.74 | 86.5 | 90.2 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to basic services in South Africa?
- Access to basic services in South Africa was 90.2 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest access to basic services recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 90.2 in 2024.
- What is the lowest access to basic services recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.6 in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for access to basic services?
- South Africa ranks 160th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to basic services rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Access to basic services. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).