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Eskom price data, year by year
Every average Eskom tariff increase from 1988 to 2026, inflation for the same year, and the average price of a kilowatt hour. To compare any two years on a chart, use the Eskom price history page.
Eskom tariff increases by year
| Year | Eskom increase | Inflation (CPI) | Average price, c/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 10% | 12.78% | 6.05 * |
| 1989 | 10% | 14.73% | 6.65 * |
| 1990 | 14% | 14.32% | 7.58 * |
| 1991 | 8% | 15.33% | 8.19 * |
| 1992 | 9% | 13.87% | 8.93 * |
| 1993 | 8% | 9.72% | 9.64 * |
| 1994 | 7% | 8.94% | 10.32 |
| 1995 | 4% | 8.68% | 11.15 |
| 1996 | 4% | 7.35% | 11.30 |
| 1997 | 5% | 8.6% | 11.85 |
| 1998 | 5.4% | 6.88% | 12.29 |
| 1999 | 4.5% | 5.18% | 12.44 |
| 2000 | 5.5% | 5.34% | 13.23 |
| 2001 | 5.2% | 5.7% | 13.76 |
| 2002 | 6.2% | 9.49% | 15.00 |
| 2003 | 8.43% | 5.68% | 16.05 |
| 2004 | 2.5% | -0.69% | 16.04 |
| 2005 | 4.1% | 2.06% | 17.01 |
| 2006 | 5.1% | 3.24% | 18.06 |
| 2007 | 5.9% | 6.18% | 19.60 |
| 2008 | 27.5% | 9.91% | 24.97 |
| 2009 | 31.3% | 7.24% | 31.95 |
| 2010 | 24.8% | 4.07% | 42.20 |
| 2011 | 25.8% | 5% | 50.27 |
| 2012 | 16% | 5.74% | 58.49 |
| 2013 | 8% | 5.78% | 62.81 |
| 2014 | 8% | 6.13% | 67.63 |
| 2015 | 12.69% | 4.52% | 75.38 |
| 2016 | 9.4% | 6.6% | 81.77 |
| 2017 | 2.2% | 5.19% | 82.49 |
| 2018 | 5.23% | 4.51% | 85.12 |
| 2019 | 13.87% | 4.1% | 95.95 |
| 2020 | 8.76% | 3.23% | 105.62 |
| 2021 | 15.06% | 4.62% | 122.75 |
| 2022 | 9.61% | 7.04% | 136.86 |
| 2023 | 18.65% | 6.08% | 160.42 |
| 2024 | 12.74% | 4.36% | 178.63 |
| 2025 | 12.74% | 3.21% | 198.32 |
| 2026 | 8.76% |
Two different eras
For twenty years electricity in South Africa got cheaper in real terms. From 1988 to 2007 the tariff rose 256% while prices in general rose 373%, so a kilowatt hour cost less, in real money, at the end of that run than at the start. Eskom was selling surplus capacity and could afford to.
The turn comes in 2008, the year load shedding began. To fund new capacity and a rising cost base, the tariff rose 27.5% that year, 31.3% in 2009 and roughly a quarter a year until 2012. A second wave followed from 2019, peaking at 18.65% in 2023. Since 2008 the tariff is up 1 108% against 158% inflation, which leaves electricity costing about 4.7 times what it did in 2007 in real terms.
The approved increase for 2026 is 8.76%, effective 1 April for customers supplied directly by Eskom and 1 July for municipal customers.
Quick answers
How much did Eskom prices increase in 2026?
The average increase for customers supplied directly by Eskom was 8.76%, applied on 1 April 2026. Municipal customers follow on 1 July with their own adjustment to bulk prices, 9.01% in 2026.
How much has electricity gone up in South Africa since 2008?
Between 2008 and 2026 the average Eskom tariff rose 1 108%, while inflation added 158% (to 2025). In real terms electricity costs about 4.7 times what it did in 2007.
What is the next Eskom price increase?
A proposed increase of 8.83% for 2027 is with NERSA; the final decision was still pending when this page was last updated.
What you pay per kWh
The average price in the table blends every customer class, from Megaflex industry to Homelight prepaid, so it sits below what a household pays for a kilowatt hour. Residential tariffs for 2026/27 run from roughly R2.70 to R3.45 per kWh including VAT for customers supplied directly by Eskom, and municipal rates differ again, often higher. The yearly percentages are what carry across suppliers; the rand column anchors them to a real bill.
Definitions and sources
The increase shown is the average standard tariff adjustment for customers supplied directly by Eskom, for the year it took effect: 1 January up to 2003, 1 April since 2004. Municipal customers get their own increase on 1 July and individual tariffs differ from the average. Years like 2015, 2019 and 2020 include regulatory claw-back adjustments, which is why they differ from the headline figure announced at the time. Sources: Eskom's published tariff schedules and historical average price tables, the regulator's decisions (NER to 2004, NERSA since), and Stats SA consumer inflation via the World Bank. Average prices before 1994 are estimated backwards from the 1994 figure and marked with an asterisk. The average price for 2026 appears once the year's figures are published, and inflation for 2026 in January 2027.