Access to electricity, urban, Percent of urban population in South Africa

South Africa: Access to electricity, urban, Percent of urban population was 87.1 in 2022. ▬ Flat

Latest (2022)
87.1
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
180th
of 212 countries
All-time high
87.7
in 2003
All-time low
84.2
in 1998
Years of data
27
1996–2022

Access to electricity, urban, Percent of urban population in South Africa, 1996–2022

0204060801996200920221996: 85.31997: 85.41998: 84.21999: 85.62000: 85.62001: 85.72002: 85.72003: 87.72004: 85.72005: 85.82006: 85.92007: 862008: 86.12009: 86.32010: 86.42011: 86.52012: 86.72013: 86.82014: 86.92015: 872016: 87.12017: 87.22018: 87.22019: 87.32020: 87.32021: 87.42022: 87.1

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 87.1 for access to electricity, urban, percent of urban population in 2022.

That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, access to electricity, urban, percent of urban population in South Africa peaked at 87.7 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 84.2, in 1998.

That places South Africa 180th out of 212 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Access to electricity, urban, Percent of urban population in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Access to electricity, urban, Percent of urban population (Not Applicable) in South Africa, 1996 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1996 85.3
1997 85.42 +0.1%
1998 84.2 -1.4%
1999 85.59 +1.7%
2000 85.6 +0.0%
2001 85.7 +0.1%
2002 85.7 +0.0%
2003 87.7 +2.3%
2004 85.7 -2.3%
2005 85.8 +0.1%
2006 85.9 +0.1%
2007 86 +0.1%
2008 86.1 +0.1%
2009 86.3 +0.2%
2010 86.4 +0.1%
2011 86.5 +0.1%
2012 86.7 +0.2%
2013 86.8 +0.1%
2014 86.9 +0.1%
2015 87 +0.1%
2016 87.1 +0.1%
2017 87.2 +0.1%
2018 87.2 +0.0%
2019 87.3 +0.1%
2020 87.3 +0.0%
2021 87.4 +0.1%
2022 87.1 -0.3%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 87.1 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 100, 87% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 87.1 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 83.8, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 85.13 84.2 85.59 4
2000s 86.05 85.6 87.7 10
2010s 86.91 86.4 87.3 10
2020s 87.27 87.1 87.4 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 177 Equatorial Guinea 89.8 compare
  2. 178 Nigeria 89 compare
  3. 178 Zimbabwe 89 compare
  4. 181 Zambia 87 compare
  5. 182 Eswatini 86.1 compare
  6. 183 Kiribati 86 compare

See the full ranking of 213 places →

More climate change data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is access to electricity, urban, percent of urban population in South Africa?
Access to electricity, urban, percent of urban population in South Africa was 87.1 in 2022, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest access to electricity, urban, percent of urban population recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 87.7 in 2003.
What is the lowest access to electricity, urban, percent of urban population recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 84.2 in 1998.
How does South Africa rank for access to electricity, urban, percent of urban population?
South Africa ranks 180th out of 212 countries with data for 2022.
Is access to electricity, urban, percent of urban population rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Access to electricity, urban, Percent of urban population (Not Applicable). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Access to electricity, urban, Percent of urban population in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/access-to-electricity-urban-percent-of-urban-population-not-applicable/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Access to electricity, urban, Percent of urban population (Not Applicable)
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
213 places, 6,262 data points, 1990–2022
Last refreshed

This dataset provides information on global climate and weather patterns, providing insights into temperature variations, land cover accounts, and shifts in mean sea levels.