South Africa — Electricity access
Access to Electricity (% of Population) for South Africa, 1996–2024.
Electricity access for South Africa was 90.20% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 29 years, from 1996 to 2024. The latest year is also the highest value on record for this series. The lowest was 57.60% in 1996 (about 1.6× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.61% per year.
South Africa ranks 161 of 215 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 75%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 59.00%, so South Africa sits above it. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved up 5%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 7 of 48 economies; Eswatini (89.30%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 21% in 1997. That is 4% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 43 years at that pace.
World ranking. Slipped: 122nd of 153 in 1996 → 147th of 211 in 2000 → 149th of 215 in 2010 → 158th of 215 in 2020 → 161st of 215 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1996 to 2024
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 90.2% | +2.5 pp |
| 2023 | 87.7% | +1.2 pp |
| 2022 | 86.5% | -2.8 pp |
| 2021 | 89.3% | -0.7 pp |
| 2020 | 90% | +5.0 pp |
| 2019 | 85% | +0.3 pp |
| 2018 | 84.7% | +0.3 pp |
| 2017 | 84.4% | +0.5 pp |
| 2016 | 83.9% | -1.4 pp |
| 2015 | 85.3% | -0.6 pp |
| 2014 | 85.9% | +0.7 pp |
| 2013 | 85.2% | +0.0 pp |
| 2012 | 85.2% | +1.6 pp |
| 2011 | 83.6% | +0.8 pp |
| 2010 | 82.8% | +0.2 pp |
| 2009 | 82.6% | +0.7 pp |
| 2008 | 81.9% | -0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 82% | +1.3 pp |
| 2006 | 80.7% | -0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 80.8% | +0.2 pp |
| 2004 | 80.6% | +1.8 pp |
| 2003 | 78.8% | +2.1 pp |
| 2002 | 76.7% | +6.5 pp |
| 2001 | 70.2% | -2.2 pp |
| 2000 | 72.4% | +1.1 pp |
| 1999 | 71.33% | +6.4 pp |
| 1998 | 64.9% | -4.6 pp |
| 1997 | 69.48% | +11.9 pp |
| 1996 | 57.6% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was South Africa’s Electricity access in 1997?
69.48% (1997). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of population, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is South Africa’s Electricity access growing or shrinking?
Between 1996 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +56.6% in total — about 1.6% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2024: 90.2%; 2023: 87.7%; 2022: 86.5%; 2021: 89.3%; 2020: 90%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS — Access to Electricity (% of Population). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.