Access to electricity in South Africa
South Africa: Access to electricity was 92.9% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in South Africa, 1990–2016
Source: World Bank Global Electrification Database 2014. Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for access to electricity in South Africa is 92.9%, measured in 2016. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in South Africa peaked at 92.9% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 81.7%, in 1990.
South Africa ranks 160th of 217 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 urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 81.7% | — |
| 1991 | 82.1% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 82.5% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 83.0% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 83.4% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 83.8% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 84.3% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 84.7% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 84.2% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 85.5% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 85.9% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 86.3% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 86.7% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 87.7% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 87.4% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 87.8% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 88.2% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 88.7% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 89.1% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 89.5% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 90.0% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 91.4% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 90.9% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 91.4% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 91.9% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 92.4% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 92.9% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 83.5% | 81.7% | 85.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 87.7% | 85.9% | 89.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 91.6% | 90.0% | 92.9% | 7 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 157 Nepal 94.5% compare
- 158 Bangladesh 94.0% compare
- 159 Cape Verde 93.0% compare
- 161 Grenada 92.3% compare
- 162 Comoros 92.1% compare
- 163 Côte d'Ivoire 92.0% compare
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 92.9% in 2016, according to World Bank Global Electrification Database 2014.
- What is the highest access to electricity recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 92.9% in 2016.
- What is the lowest access to electricity recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 81.7% in 1990.
- How does South Africa rank for access to electricity?
- South Africa ranks 160th out of 217 countries with data for 2016.
- Is access to electricity rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. 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 2014, published as part of Access to electricity (% of urban 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 total population with access to electricity.