Total electricity output in South Africa

South Africa: Total electricity output was 246,736 GWh in 2015. ▲ Rising

Latest (2015)
246,736 GWh
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
20th
of 230 countries
All-time high
260,500 GWh
in 2007
All-time low
165,385 GWh
in 1990
Years of data
26
1990–2015

Total electricity output in South Africa, 1990–2015

0100.0k200.0k300.0k1990200220151990: 165.4k GWh1991: 166.5k GWh1992: 166.8k GWh1993: 173.4k GWh1994: 180.2k GWh1995: 185.4k GWh1996: 199.5k GWh1997: 207.8k GWh1998: 203.0k GWh1999: 200.4k GWh2000: 207.8k GWh2001: 208.2k GWh2002: 218.6k GWh2003: 231.2k GWh2004: 240.9k GWh2005: 242.1k GWh2006: 250.9k GWh2007: 260.5k GWh2008: 255.5k GWh2009: 246.8k GWh2010: 256.6k GWh2011: 259.6k GWh2012: 254.9k GWh2013: 253.2k GWh2014: 249.5k GWh2015: 246.7k GWh

Source: World Bank and International Energy Agency (IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA, http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp). Measured in GWh.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 246,736 GWh for total electricity output in 2015.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and up 1.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total electricity output in South Africa peaked at 260,500 GWh in 2007 and was at its lowest, 165,385 GWh, in 1990.

South Africa ranks 20th of 230 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.

Total electricity output in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Total electricity output (GWh) in South Africa, 1990 to 2015.
Year GWh Change
1990 165,385 GWh
1991 166,512 GWh +0.7%
1992 166,757 GWh +0.1%
1993 173,361 GWh +4.0%
1994 180,173 GWh +3.9%
1995 185,381 GWh +2.9%
1996 199,496 GWh +7.6%
1997 207,754 GWh +4.1%
1998 202,954 GWh -2.3%
1999 200,422 GWh -1.2%
2000 207,837 GWh +3.7%
2001 208,173 GWh +0.2%
2002 218,564 GWh +5.0%
2003 231,248 GWh +5.8%
2004 240,930 GWh +4.2%
2005 242,055 GWh +0.5%
2006 250,851 GWh +3.6%
2007 260,500 GWh +3.8%
2008 255,519 GWh -1.9%
2009 246,815 GWh -3.4%
2010 256,648 GWh +4.0%
2011 259,576 GWh +1.1%
2012 254,913 GWh -1.8%
2013 253,192 GWh -0.7%
2014 249,471 GWh -1.5%
2015 246,736 GWh -1.1%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 246,736 GWh is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13,182 GWh, 18.7× the median. (59 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 246,736 GWh is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,327 GWh, 185.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 184,820 GWh 165,385 GWh 207,754 GWh 10
2000s 236,249 GWh 207,837 GWh 260,500 GWh 10
2010s 253,423 GWh 246,736 GWh 259,576 GWh 6

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 17 Turkey 261,783 GWh compare
  2. 18 Taiwan 254,990 GWh compare
  3. 19 Australia 252,276 GWh compare
  4. 21 Indonesia 233,984 GWh compare
  5. 22 Egypt 181,977 GWh compare
  6. 23 Thailand 177,760 GWh compare

See the full ranking of 230 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is total electricity output in South Africa?
Total electricity output in South Africa was 246,736 GWh in 2015, according to World Bank and International Energy Agency (IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA, http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp).
What is the highest total electricity output recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 260,500 GWh in 2007.
What is the lowest total electricity output recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 165,385 GWh in 1990.
How does South Africa rank for total electricity output?
South Africa ranks 20th out of 230 countries with data for 2015.
Is total electricity output rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from World Bank and International Energy Agency (IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA, http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), published as part of Total electricity output (GWh). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Total electricity output in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank and International Energy Agency (IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA, http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp). Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/total-electricity-output-gwh/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Total electricity output (GWh)
Unit
GWh
Source
World Bank and International Energy Agency (IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA, http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
230 places, 5,911 data points, 1990–2015
Last refreshed

Total electricity output (GWh): Total number of GWh generated by all power plants