Access to electricity in South Africa
South Africa: Access to electricity was 67.9% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in South Africa, 1990–2016
Source: World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013. Measured in % of rural population.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 67.9% for access to electricity in 2016.
The figure is down 6.8% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in South Africa peaked at 75.6% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 25.1%, in 1996.
South Africa ranks 148th of 201 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Access to electricity in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 35.1% | — |
| 1991 | 36.7% | +4.6% |
| 1992 | 38.4% | +4.6% |
| 1993 | 40.1% | +4.4% |
| 1994 | 41.8% | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 43.5% | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 25.1% | -42.4% |
| 1997 | 47.0% | +87.5% |
| 1998 | 37.1% | -21.1% |
| 1999 | 50.4% | +36.0% |
| 2000 | 52.1% | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 48.6% | -6.9% |
| 2002 | 63.9% | +31.7% |
| 2003 | 57.4% | -10.2% |
| 2004 | 71.5% | +24.5% |
| 2005 | 70.7% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 69.3% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 71.7% | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 70.6% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 71.7% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 71.2% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 64.1% | -10.0% |
| 2012 | 75.6% | +17.9% |
| 2013 | 74.8% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 75.4% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 72.9% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 67.9% | -6.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 39.5% | 25.1% | 50.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 64.8% | 48.6% | 71.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.7% | 64.1% | 75.6% | 7 |
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 electricity in South Africa?
- Access to electricity in South Africa was 67.9% in 2016, according to World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013.
- What is the highest access to electricity recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 75.6% in 2012.
- What is the lowest access to electricity recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.1% in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for access to electricity?
- South Africa ranks 148th out of 201 countries with data for 2016.
- Is access to electricity rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013, published as part of Access to electricity (% of rural population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Access to electricity is the percentage of rural population with access to electricity.