Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Africa
South Africa: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 43.31 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Africa, 1971–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Africa is 43.31 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.7% on the previous year and up 130.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Africa peaked at 43.31 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.112 terawatt-hours, in 1971.
That places South Africa 36th out of 214 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Africa, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.112 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1972 | 0.834 terawatt-hours | +644.6% |
| 1973 | 0.985 terawatt-hours | +18.1% |
| 1974 | 1.13 terawatt-hours | +14.9% |
| 1975 | 1.12 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 1976 | 1.88 terawatt-hours | +67.5% |
| 1977 | 1.94 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 1978 | 1.91 terawatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 1.14 terawatt-hours | -40.0% |
| 1980 | 0.992 terawatt-hours | -13.3% |
| 1981 | 1.65 terawatt-hours | +66.6% |
| 1982 | 1.02 terawatt-hours | -38.5% |
| 1983 | 0.595 terawatt-hours | -41.4% |
| 1984 | 4.49 terawatt-hours | +653.8% |
| 1985 | 5.94 terawatt-hours | +32.4% |
| 1986 | 10.43 terawatt-hours | +75.6% |
| 1987 | 7.78 terawatt-hours | -25.3% |
| 1988 | 13.65 terawatt-hours | +75.4% |
| 1989 | 13.86 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 9.46 terawatt-hours | -31.7% |
| 1991 | 11.12 terawatt-hours | +17.6% |
| 1992 | 10.04 terawatt-hours | -9.7% |
| 1993 | 7.4 terawatt-hours | -26.3% |
| 1994 | 10.77 terawatt-hours | +45.5% |
| 1995 | 11.83 terawatt-hours | +9.8% |
| 1996 | 13.15 terawatt-hours | +11.2% |
| 1997 | 14.88 terawatt-hours | +13.2% |
| 1998 | 15.43 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 13.76 terawatt-hours | -10.8% |
| 2000 | 14.59 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 2001 | 12.86 terawatt-hours | -11.9% |
| 2002 | 14.55 terawatt-hours | +13.1% |
| 2003 | 13.93 terawatt-hours | -4.3% |
| 2004 | 14.73 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 13.08 terawatt-hours | -11.2% |
| 2006 | 13.37 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 14.65 terawatt-hours | +9.6% |
| 2008 | 14.76 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 14.76 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 15.12 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 16.43 terawatt-hours | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 14.48 terawatt-hours | -11.9% |
| 2013 | 15.78 terawatt-hours | +9.0% |
| 2014 | 18.1 terawatt-hours | +14.7% |
| 2015 | 18.76 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 23.2 terawatt-hours | +23.7% |
| 2017 | 26.32 terawatt-hours | +13.4% |
| 2018 | 24.06 terawatt-hours | -8.6% |
| 2019 | 26.45 terawatt-hours | +9.9% |
| 2020 | 25.17 terawatt-hours | -4.8% |
| 2021 | 31.27 terawatt-hours | +24.2% |
| 2022 | 33.72 terawatt-hours | +7.8% |
| 2023 | 36.98 terawatt-hours | +9.7% |
| 2024 | 38.77 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 2025 | 43.31 terawatt-hours | +11.7% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 43.31 terawatt-hours is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.59 terawatt-hours, 7.7× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 43.31 terawatt-hours is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.6 terawatt-hours, 72.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +653.8% | 0.595 terawatt-hours | 4.49 terawatt-hours |
| 1972 | +644.6% | 0.112 terawatt-hours | 0.834 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.23 terawatt-hours | 0.112 terawatt-hours | 1.94 terawatt-hours | 9 |
| 1980s | 6.04 terawatt-hours | 0.595 terawatt-hours | 13.86 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.79 terawatt-hours | 7.4 terawatt-hours | 15.43 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.13 terawatt-hours | 12.86 terawatt-hours | 14.76 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.87 terawatt-hours | 14.48 terawatt-hours | 26.45 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.87 terawatt-hours | 25.17 terawatt-hours | 43.31 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More climate change data for South Africa
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 717.27 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 34,365 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,741 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 22,624 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 44.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 807.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,495 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,119 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 376.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 19.32 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Africa?
- Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Africa was 43.31 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 43.31 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.112 terawatt-hours in 1971.
- How does South Africa rank for electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- South Africa ranks 36th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 130.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation from low-carbon sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours. Low-carbon sources correspond to renewables and nuclear power, that produce significantly less greenhouse-gas emissions than fossil fuels. Renewables include solar, wind, hydropower, bioenergy, geothermal, wave, and tidal.