Share of the population without access to clean fuels for cooking in South Africa
South Africa: Share of the population without access to clean fuels for cooking was 10.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of the population without access to clean fuels for cooking in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 10.0% for share of the population without access to clean fuels for cooking in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 41.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population without access to clean fuels for cooking in South Africa peaked at 43.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 10.0%, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 86th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Share of the population without access to clean fuels for cooking in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 43.0% | — |
| 2001 | 41.0% | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 39.0% | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 37.0% | -5.1% |
| 2004 | 35.0% | -5.4% |
| 2005 | 32.0% | -8.6% |
| 2006 | 30.0% | -6.2% |
| 2007 | 28.0% | -6.7% |
| 2008 | 26.0% | -7.1% |
| 2009 | 24.0% | -7.7% |
| 2010 | 23.0% | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 21.0% | -8.7% |
| 2012 | 20.0% | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 18.0% | -10.0% |
| 2014 | 17.0% | -5.6% |
| 2015 | 16.0% | -5.9% |
| 2016 | 15.0% | -6.2% |
| 2017 | 14.0% | -6.7% |
| 2018 | 13.0% | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 13.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 12.0% | -7.7% |
| 2021 | 11.0% | -8.3% |
| 2022 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 10.0% | -9.1% |
| 2024 | 10.0% | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 10.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.0%, 1.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 10.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 87.0%, 11% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33.5% | 24.0% | 43.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.0% | 13.0% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.8% | 10.0% | 12.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More economy & growth data for South Africa
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.4836 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.4 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps -4.01 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0094 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -61.95 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled -2.16 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -192.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0051 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -33.37 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 16.18 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population without access to clean fuels for cooking in South Africa?
- Share of the population without access to clean fuels for cooking in South Africa was 10.0% in 2024, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population without access to clean fuels for cooking recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 43.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of the population without access to clean fuels for cooking recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.0% in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for share of the population without access to clean fuels for cooking?
- South Africa ranks 86th out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population without access to clean fuels for cooking rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population without access to clean fuels for cooking. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of population without primary reliance on clean fuels and technology is calculated as the number of people unable to use clean fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting divided by total population reporting that any cooking, heating or lighting, expressed as percentage. “Clean” is defined by the emission rate targets and specific fuel recommendations (i.e. against unprocessed coal and kerosene) included in the normative guidance WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: household fuel combustion.