Background note on Africa’s Current Path Energy Future to 2043

The report projects that Africa's total energy demand will rise from 4.589 BBOE in 2023 to 10.26 BBOE by 2043, driven by population growth and development needs. It highlights significant current disparities in per capita energy use across African nations and compares these figures to the United States and India.

• Africa's total energy demand is projected to increase from 4.589 BBOE in 2023 to 10.26 BBOE by 2043, as the continent's share of the world's population is expected to grow from 18% in 2023 to 23% in 2043.
• There is a wide disparity in 2023 annual energy use per person across African countries, ranging from high users like Libya (18.4 barrels of oil equivalent) and Mauritius (16.1) to low users like the Central African Republic (0.6) and Burundi (0.5).
• Under the 'Current Path' forecast, energy demand in Africa is expected to reach 4.8 barrels per person by 2043.
• Comparative 2023 data shows the average American uses 40.7 barrels of oil equivalent, while the average person in India uses 4.3; US demand is projected to decline to 37.7 barrels by 2043 due to energy efficiency improvements.

APA

Cilliers, J. (2023). Background note on Africa’s Current Path Energy Future to 2043. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=other/Energy&topic=03-energy-demand

Chicago

Cilliers, Jakkie. Background note on Africa’s Current Path Energy Future to 2043. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=other/Energy&topic=03-energy-demand.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cilliers |first1=Jakkie |title=Background note on Africa’s Current Path Energy Future to 2043 |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=9 November 2023 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=other/Energy&topic=03-energy-demand |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cilliers2023background, author = {Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{Background note on Africa’s Current Path Energy Future to 2043}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=other/Energy&topic=03-energy-demand}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }