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Indicators · Energy and power

Hydro share of electricity

Share of electricity generated by hydropower.

Why it matters

A concentration risk. Heavy reliance on one river system exposes supply to drought.

Read with care

Varies strongly with rainfall from year to year.

Source

Ember, Energy Institute

% of generation. 54 African countries, 1985 to 2025.

Hydro share: highest in Lesotho, lowest in Seychelles

Hydro share of electricity, % of generation. Latest year available, mostly 2024. 16 of 16 countries have data.

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Source: Ember, Energy Institute· Get the data (Professional)·dotzedw Insights Centre

Ranked: hydro shareiWhy it mattersA concentration risk. Heavy reliance on one river system exposes supply to drought.

Click a country to highlight it.

0%20%40%60%80%100%Lesotho100.0% (2022)Malawi92.4% (2024)Zambia86.2% (2024)DRC84.2% (2024)Mozambique82.4% (2024)Angola70.6% (2024)Namibia61.0% (2024)Eswatini57.4% (2024)Zimbabwe55.6% (2024)Madagascar37.0% (2024)Tanzania31.7% (2024)Mauritius3.2% (2024)South Africa0.8%Botswana0.0% (2024)Comoros0.0% (2023)Seychelles0.0% (2024)median 56.5%
dotzedw Insights Centre
How spread out SADC is
Median 56.5%Lowest: Botswana 0.0%Highest: Lesotho 100.0%

Over time

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Hydro share of electricity against income per person

Each bubble is a SADC country, sized by population. Dashed lines mark the SADC medians. Countries far from the pattern are worth a closer look.

0.0%20.0%40.0%60.0%80.0%100.0%$1,000$3,000$10kGDP per person, US$ (log scale)Hydro shareDRCTanzaniaSouth AfricaAngolaMozambiqueMadagascarZambiaZimbabwe
Source: Ember, Energy Institute, World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Table

The same figures as the map, for screen readers and copying.
RankCountryValueYearFive-year changeGradeDetails
1Lesotho100.0%2022little changed since 2017C
2Malawi92.4%2024down 0.4 points since 2019C
3Zambia86.2%2024up 2.8 points since 2019C
4DRC84.2%2024down 15.6 points since 2019C
5Mozambique82.4%2024up 3.7 points since 2019C
6Angola70.6%2024down 2.2 points since 2019C
7Namibia61.0%2024down 7.9 points since 2019C
8Eswatini57.4%2024up 10.4 points since 2019C
9Zimbabwe55.6%2024up 6.4 points since 2019C
10Madagascar37.0%2024up 1.0 point since 2019C
11Tanzania31.7%2024down 0.2 points since 2019C
12Mauritius3.2%2024little changed since 2019C
13South Africa0.8%2025little changed since 2020C
14Botswana0.0%2024little changed since 2019C
15Comoros0.0%2023little changed since 2018C
16Seychelles0.0%2024little changed since 2019C