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Continent profile · latest data 2024 · 57 countries

Africa energy mix & electricity

In 2024, Africa generated 962 TWh of electricity, 3% of the global total. Natural gas was the largest source (42.5%), followed by coal (25.5%) and hydropower (17.2%). Renewables supplied 24.7% versus 33.8% globally, and low-carbon sources including nuclear 25.5%.

Gas 42.5%Coal 25.5%Hydro 17.2%Oil 6.5%Solar 3.7%Wind 2.9%Nuclear 0.8%Other renewables 0.6%
Renewable electricity
24.7%
+6.9 pp in 10 yrs
Low-carbon incl. nuclear
25.5%
Carbon intensity
544g/kWh
World 458 g
Electricity per person
635kWh
World 3,860 kWh
Generation
962TWh
+194 TWh vs 2014

Electricity by source in 2024

Africa electricity mix 2024
SourceTWhShare10-yr Δ pp
Gas40942.5%+6.4
Coal24525.5%−7.7
Hydro16517.2%+1
Oil626.5%−4.5
Solar363.7%+3.5
Wind282.9%+2.3
Nuclear80.8%−1
Other renewables60.6%+0.2
Bioenergy30.3%−0.1

Africa in context

Since 2014, natural gas has grown the most (+131 TWh), followed by hydropower (+40.7 TWh). Oil declined by 22 TWh over the same period. The renewable share rose by 6.9 percentage points over the decade. Average carbon intensity is 544 g CO₂e/kWh, down 54 g from 2014. Coal’s share peaked at 54.3% in 1987 and stands at 25.5% today.

Across the region, DR Congo has the highest renewable share (100%) and Libya the lowest (0%). The three largest producers, Egypt, South Africa, and Algeria, account for about 61% of all generation in Africa, so their choices largely set the regional trend.

Electricity generation since 1985

Electricity generation by source

Renewables and carbon intensity

Renewable share of electricity (%)
Carbon intensity (g CO₂e/kWh)
Solar and wind share since 2000 (%)

Primary energy consumption

All energy used across transport, heat, industry and power. Fossil fuels supply 90.3% and renewables 9.4% of the total.

Primary energy by source (TWh, substitution method)

Countries in Africa ranked by renewable share

Sorted by renewable share of electricity; click any column to re-sort. Small systems below 1 TWh are listed here but left out of the world rankings.

#CountryRenewable %Low-carbon %gCO₂/kWhkWh / personGeneration TWhMix
1Central African Republic 100%100% 027 0.1
2DR Congo 100%100% 28146 15.9
3Ethiopia 100%100% 23246 33.4
4Lesotho 100%100% 210 0
5Namibia 97.6%97.6% 49541 1.6
6Uganda 97.1%97.1% 59116 5.8
7Eswatini 96.7%96.7% 131491 0.6
8Malawi 95.6%95.6% 5585 1.8
9Sierra Leone 95.2%95.2% 4824 0.2
10Kenya 90%90% 95244 14
11Zambia 87.5%87.5% 120925 19.7
12Mozambique 83.4%83.4% 129571 19.8
13Sudan 79.7%79.7% 154293 14.8
14Burundi 75.5%75.5% 18435 0.5
15Guinea 75.2%75.2% 181273 4
16Angola 73.7%73.7% 185412 15.6
17Cameroon 73.1%73.1% 226249 7.3
18Zimbabwe 57.1%57.1% 384617 10.3
19Réunion 56.7%56.7% 3943,509 3.1
20Liberia 54.4%54.4% 316102 0.6
21Rwanda 49.6%49.6% 35479 1.1
22Madagascar 42.4%42.4% 43276 2.4
23Ghana 36.2%36.2% 469705 24.3
24Gabon 35.4%35.4% 5231,024 2.6
25Djibouti 35%35% 450171 0.2
26Tanzania 32.9%32.9% 345129 8.8
27Nigeria 31.3%31.3% 456175 41.5
28Cabo Verde 30.8%30.8% 462991 0.5
29Togo 29.6%29.6% 42384 0.7
30Côte d'Ivoire 28.9%28.9% 405338 10.8
31Equatorial Guinea 26.8%26.8% 644787 1.5
32Morocco 24%24% 5961,158 44.5
33Mauritania 22.7%22.7% 512400 2.1
34Somalia 20.9%20.9% 51223 0.4
35Republic of the Congo 20.9%20.9% 716862 5.5
36Senegal 19.8%19.8% 540412 7.6
37Mali 19.5%19.5% 539243 6
38Mauritius 17.9%17.9% 6422,683 3.4
39Burkina Faso 17.2%17.2% 56272 1.7
40Seychelles 15.9%15.9% 5564,830 0.6
41South Africa 13.6%17.8% 6993,749 243
42Egypt 13%13% 5632,076 246
43Eritrea 11.1%11.1% 578127 0.5
44São Tomé and Príncipe 11.1%11.1% 556390 0.1
45Chad 5.4%5.4% 62218 0.4
46Tunisia 4%4% 5601,807 22.3
47Benin 4%4% 58470 1
48Niger 3.2%3.2% 67435 1
49South Sudan 1.8%1.8% 64347 0.6
50Algeria 1.1%1.1% 6332,058 96.4
51Botswana 0.3%0.3% 8511,361 3.4
52Libya 0%0% 8274,686 34.6
53Comoros 0%0% 643165 0.1
54Gambia 0%0% 667185 0.5
55Guinea-Bissau 0%0% 62536 0.1
56Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha 0%0% 1,0001,881 0
57Western Sahara 0%0% 667228 0.1

Africa energy: frequently asked questions

What share of electricity in Africa is renewable?
24.7% in 2024: hydro 17.2%, solar 3.7%, and wind 2.9%.
What is the largest source of electricity in Africa?
Natural gas, with 42.5% of generation in 2024.
What is the carbon intensity of electricity in Africa?
About 544 g CO₂-equivalent per kWh in 2024.
How much electricity is generated per person in Africa?
About 635 kWh per person per year (2024).
How much electricity in Africa comes from solar and wind?
Solar supplied 3.7% and wind 2.9% in 2024, 6.7% combined, up from 0.9% ten years earlier.

Other regions & groups

World 34%Asia 27%Europe 42%North America 29%South America 77%Oceania 41%European Union (EU-27) 48%High-income countries 31%Upper-middle-income countries 34%Lower-middle-income countries 26%Low-income countries 64%

Sources & references

  1. Our World in Data: Energy dataset (CC BY 4.0) — compiled from the sources below
  2. Ember: Yearly Electricity Data — generation, shares, carbon intensity
  3. Energy Institute: Statistical Review of World Energy — primary energy, fossil production
  4. U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Energy Data — gap-filling for smaller countries