Africa

Renewables overtook coal in Africa’s total electricity mix, but clean power must grow faster to meet growing demand.

Africa has 19% of the world’s population but accounts for just 3.1% of global electricity demand. The vast majority of people who live without access to electricity are found in sub-Saharan Africa. For those who do have access, power supplies are often unreliable, and consumption per person is far lower than the global average. 

Africa’s electricity demand increased by 3.2% in 2025, slowing from 3.7% growth in 2024, but above the global average of 2.8%. Clean power met 52% of Africa’s new electricity demand between 2020 and 2025. The remaining 48% was met with fossil generation. Rapid growth in clean generation will be key to meeting new electricity demand and limiting expensive gas, the largest single source of electricity in Africa. 

In 2025, gas accounted for 42% of electricity in Africa. Gas generation rose by 44% between 2015 and 2025, with gas-producing countries increasing their reliance on the fuel, especially in North Africa. The second-largest single source of power was coal, but it fell to 24% of the total power generation and declined by 3.3% (- 8.1 TWh) year-on-year. At the same time, renewables overtook coal for the first time, reaching 26% of the power generation. Renewable energy increased by 9.4% (+22 TWh), compared to 2024. 

Reliance on expensive fossil gas burdens economies, whereas Africa has abundant renewable energy resources. Despite being the sunniest continent, solar made up less than 4% of Africa’s electricity mix in 2025. Africa also accounted for only 1.4% of global solar generation in 2025. 

Countries will need to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. For coal-based economies like South Africa, this means shifting away from coal-fired power. North African countries, including Algeria and Egypt, will also need to significantly cut gas power generation. 

For the rest of Africa, where power sector emissions are minimal, the priority is to deliver electricity to all by 2030, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal. Achieving this will require a combination of national grids, mini-grids and standalone renewable systems. This has been successfully achieved in Kenya. Since 2018, wind, solar, and geothermal power have entirely met the country’s demand growth. In South Africa, a recent solar surge pushed clean generation to 29% in December 2025, up from 19% in December 2024. Meanwhile, coal fell to a record monthly low of 70%.