Southern Africa · ZAF
South Africa Environmental Profile
South Africa's environmental profile is dominated by a coal-based power system and the social challenge of changing it fairly. Territorial fossil and industrial CO₂ reached 439.8 million tonnes in 2024, 41% above 1990, although emissions per person were 11% lower as population grew. Coal supplied 83.6% of electricity; renewables reached 12.5%, almost ten percentage points above 2015, led by solar and wind. Primary energy use per person has declined, but reliability, affordability, access, and employment remain central to transition choices. FAO reports a net forest-area gain, which likely reflects a mixture of land categories and cannot be equated with recovery of native ecosystems. Climate exposure is high, readiness is comparatively low, and species-risk indicators are deteriorating. A credible pathway must connect power reform, worker and community outcomes, water security, and ecological resilience.
At a glance
Six signals, each with its own clock
Values are not forced into a false common year. The observation year and source sit on every card.
- Net forest-area change
- +87,566 ha/year
Net gain in the latest interval
Original interpretation
What stands out
Each insight connects multiple indicators instead of repeating a headline number.
The transition is an employment and reliability project
Coal generated 83.6% of electricity in 2024, tying emissions to mines, rail, power stations, municipalities, and household energy security. Replacing generation is necessary but not sufficient. Grid performance, debt, new investment, worker pathways, local revenue, and affordable service determine whether decarbonization becomes durable or politically fragile.
See the evidenceRenewables are growing from a small but visible base
Solar and wind lifted the renewable share to 12.5%, nearly ten percentage points above 2015. That shift is substantial, yet coal output remains overwhelming and the grid constrains new projects. Faster transmission, procurement, storage, maintenance, and demand flexibility are needed for clean additions to improve both reliability and emissions.
See the evidenceWater and biodiversity belong inside the energy story
Modeled exposure is high, readiness is low, and the Red List Index continues to decline. Coal and power infrastructure also interact with water availability, air pollution, land, and community health. Treating climate, energy, and biodiversity as separate portfolios would miss the shared geography of risk and the benefits of coordinated planning.
See the evidenceEmissions
A trajectory, not just a latest value
Territorial fossil and industrial CO₂, with total and per-person views using the same selected years.
South Africa CO₂ history
439.8 million t in 2024, compared with 312.9 million t CO₂ in 1990.
The complete values are available in the data table below. JavaScript adds the visual chart.
View emissions data table
| Year | Total (t CO₂) | Per person (t) |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 312,933,900 | 7.68 |
| 1995 | 361,711,940 | 8.12 |
| 2000 | 378,332,500 | 8.02 |
| 2005 | 416,204,860 | 8.41 |
| 2010 | 467,352,500 | 8.93 |
| 2015 | 457,473,250 | 8.06 |
| 2020 | 435,297,660 | 7.19 |
| 2021 | 439,464,400 | 7.15 |
| 2022 | 428,782,180 | 6.87 |
| 2023 | 436,604,200 | 6.91 |
| 2024 | 439,830,500 | 6.87 |
Energy transition
Electricity is the leading edge—not the whole system
Generation shares show the power recipe. Primary energy per person supplies the wider context.
Renewable electricity share
12.5% in 2024.
The complete values are available in the data table below. JavaScript adds the visual chart.
View renewable-share data table
| Year | Renewable share |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.75% |
| 2005 | 0.73% |
| 2010 | 0.61% |
| 2015 | 2.61% |
| 2020 | 6.34% |
| 2021 | 7.71% |
| 2022 | 9.88% |
| 2023 | 12.40% |
| 2024 | 12.51% |
Electricity mix, 2024
247.5 TWh of domestic generation; shares are derived from the nine source rows.
- Coal
- 83.55% 206.81 TWh
- Gas
- 0.00% 0.00 TWh
- Oil
- 0.78% 1.94 TWh
- Nuclear
- 3.15% 7.80 TWh
- Hydropower
- 0.44% 1.10 TWh
- Wind
- 4.48% 11.10 TWh
- Solar
- 7.39% 18.30 TWh
- Bioenergy
- 0.19% 0.47 TWh
- Other renewables
- 0.00% 0.00 TWh
Land and food
Net forest change and agricultural gases
Two useful indicators with deliberately separate accounting boundaries.
Net forest-area change
2025+87,566 ha/year
Expansion minus deforestation; this is not gross natural-forest loss. 2020–2025 average.
Agricultural emissions
202331.5 Mt CO₂e
IPCC Agriculture greenhouse gases in CO₂e; excludes land-use CO₂ and energy.
Climate risk and biodiversity
Scores need direction, definition, and restraint
Exposure is kept separate from vulnerability and readiness; biodiversity coverage is not presented as ecological success.
Climate exposure
20240.548 / 1
0 is lower; 1 is higher
Modeled biophysical exposure component of ND-GAIN; invariant across the time series.
Climate vulnerability
20240.436 / 1
Down from 0.474 in 1995
Exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity combined; lower is better.
Adaptation readiness
20240.316 / 1
1 is more ready
Economic, governance, and social readiness to convert investment into adaptation.
Red List Index
20240.76 / 1
Down from 0.83 in 1995
Closer to 1 indicates lower aggregate extinction risk among assessed groups.
Protected KBA coverage
202419.9%
+6.0 points since 2000
Average share of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas.
Synthesis
Connections to watch
Watch 01
Measure transition progress through reliability, affordability, employment, and coal displacement together.
Watch 02
Link transmission expansion with biodiversity safeguards and community participation.
Watch 03
Treat water availability as a constraint shared by power, mining, agriculture, cities, and ecosystems.
What these numbers cannot tell us: National indicators cannot resolve local inequality, implementation quality, ecosystem condition, or the lived impacts of pollution and climate hazards. They are a starting map for investigation, not a verdict.
Methodology and downloads
A reproducible, bounded snapshot
24Earth retrieved this snapshot on 14 July 2026 and stores it locally. Each source is refreshed on its own schedule, so every metric retains its observation year instead of being relabeled “current.” Values are rounded only for display; downloads retain source precision where reuse permits.
Indicator data dictionary and source ledger
| Source family | Coverage / update | License / reuse | Boundary and 24Earth treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Carbon Budget (2025), processed by Our World in Data Global Carbon Project and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-11-13 | Source citation requested; OWID Chart API material is CC BY 4.0 where applicable, with original source terms continuing to apply. | Territorial fossil-fuel and industrial CO₂. Land-use change is excluded. |
| Yearly Electricity Data, compiled by Our World in Data Ember via Our World in Data | Through 2024–2025, depending on country; source update 2026-04-24 | CC BY 4.0 | 24Earth uses 2000 onward so the displayed generation data is within Ember coverage, avoiding legacy Energy Institute rows. |
| International primary energy consumption per capita U.S. Energy Information Administration | Through 2024; source update 2026 | U.S. government data are public domain; attribution requested. | EIA series INTL.47-33-{ISO3}-MBTUPP.A converted from million Btu per person to kWh per person using 293.07107. This is EIA, not IEA. |
| Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, processed by Our World in Data | Through 2025; source update 2025-12-05 | FAO open-data terms; attribution required. | Average annual net forest-area change for the latest assessment interval, not gross tree-cover loss. |
| FAOSTAT Emissions Totals — IPCC Agriculture Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | Through 2023; source update 2025-10-28 | CC BY 4.0 with FAO database terms | Item 1711, IPCC Agriculture; Element 723113, emissions in CO₂-equivalent using AR5 factors; FAO Tier 1. Source kt CO₂e values are multiplied by 1,000 for displayed tonnes. |
| World Population Prospects 2024 United Nations, processed by Our World in Data | Through 2023; source update 2024 | United Nations data terms; attribution required. | Historical population estimate used for context; it is not forced to the year of other indicators. |
| ND-GAIN Country Index 2026 release Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative | Through 2024; source update 2026-06-26 | CC BY 3.0 | Exposure is a modeled biophysical index from 0 (lower) to 1 (higher); it is not observed disaster loss. |
| Red List Index (UN SDG 15.5.1) BirdLife International and IUCN, distributed through UN SDG data and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-10-29 | Original IUCN and BirdLife reuse terms apply. Display only; omitted from downloads. | A national aggregate from OWID's 2025-10-29 snapshot is displayed with attribution. It differs from a later live UNSD revision, so versions are not blended. Raw species data and this metric are excluded from 24Earth downloads. |
| Protected coverage of terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas (UN SDG 15.1.2) BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC, distributed through UN SDG data and Our World in Data | Through 2024; source update 2025-10-29 | Original provider and Protected Planet reuse terms apply. Display only; omitted from downloads. | The national SDG aggregate is displayed with attribution. Raw protected-area and KBA data are not redistributed by 24Earth. |
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CSV is analysis-friendly; JSON preserves definitions, precision, and source metadata. Biodiversity aggregates are intentionally omitted from both files while original reuse rights are reviewed.
Licensing decision: This profile does not redistribute IEA data. Primary energy comes from U.S. EIA. Electricity history begins in Ember’s openly licensed modern coverage. Source access and reuse permission are treated as separate questions.
