Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Africa
South Africa: Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 17.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Africa, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 17.8% for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in 2025. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
That represents a change of up 13.9% on the previous year and up 137.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Africa peaked at 17.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 1985.
That places South Africa 144th out of 213 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.7% | 4.1% | 8.6% | 5 |
| 1990s | 6.3% | 4.2% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.9% | 5.3% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.8% | 5.6% | 10.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.4% | 10.5% | 17.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More climate change data for South Africa
- Share co2 vs population 0.9265 (2100)
- Population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Population, total 64.75 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.3% (2025)
- Urban population 41.32 million (2025)
- Urban population 63.8% (2025)
- Co2 emissions vs gdp 6.87 (2024)
- Cumulative co emissions 22.83 billion (2024)
- Co emissions per capita 6.87 (2024)
- Co2 per capita vs renewable electricity 6.87 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Africa?
- Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Africa was 17.8% in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 17.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.1% in 1985.
- How does South Africa rank for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- South Africa ranks 144th out of 213 groups with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 137.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region. 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.