How Has World Access to Electricity Changed Over Time?

Settling in to watch a favorite show on Netflix after a hard day’s work on the computer, lighting up the Christmas tree to enjoy holiday cheer with family, perusing a bright, impeccable department store, flicking on the light to use the restroom in the middle of the night — all of these simple luxuries are made possible by access to electricity. Unfortunately, many people live without electricity around the globe. How many people have no electricity worldwide? According to the International Energy Agency, around 770 million people live without access to electricity, primarily in Asia and Africa. The COVID-19 crisis disrupted a steady growth in electricity access; from 2015 to 2019, the number of people without power was falling an average of 9% each year, but there was little change between 2019 and 2021. How many people in the United States have no electricity? It is estimated that around 15,000 families, or 60,000 people, live without access to electricity in America. This visualization from Solar Power Guide examines electricity access around the world to highlight regions that need the most support:

Click the below image to view full-size.

How Has World Access to Electricity Changed Over Time? - Solar Power Guide - Infographic

Simply copy and paste the code from the box below to share.

How Much of the World Has Electricity?

According to the World Health Organization, the global electrification rate reached 89% in 2019 but has since slowed due to the pandemic halting global energy expansion efforts.

What Countries Have No Electricity?

Do third-world countries have electricity? The stark reality is that electricity access is severely lacking in much of the underdeveloped world. Here are the 20 countries without electricity on a consistent basis and the percentage of households with electricity access in each:

  1. Chad: 11.08%
  2. Burundi: 11.74%
  3. Malawi: 14.87%
  4. Central African Republic: 15.47%
  5. Burkina Faso: 18.96%
  6. Democratic Republic of the Congo: 19.10%
  7. Niger: 19.25%
  8. Sierra Leone: 26.20%
  9. Liberia: 27.53%
  10. Mozambique: 30.60%
  11. Guinea-Bissau: 33.34%
  12. Madagascar: 33.74%
  13. Tanzania: 39.90%
  14. Benin: 41.41%
  15. Uganda: 42.07%
  16. Zambia: 44.52%
  17. Guinea: 44.67%
  18. Rwanda: 46.60%
  19. Angola: 46.89%
  20. Haiti: 46.93%

As you can see, African countries without electricity access are abundant. Two out of three people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to power. Sub-Saharan Africa’s share of the global population without access to electricity has reached 77%. Prior to the pandemic, it was at 74%.

What Percentage of Africa Has No Electricity?

According to the IEA, 43% of Africans overall don’t have electricity.

Are There Any Countries Without Electricity at All?

No, but the African country with the least access to electricity is close, at only 11.08% of the population electrified. While Chad faces significant challenges in terms of installed generation capacity, the United States Agency for International Development believes that it has plentiful wind and solar power installation potential.

What About Solar Power in Africa Overall?

The World Economic Forum reported that the future looks promising for Africa’s solar energy output. Out of all continents, Africa has the highest average long-term practical potential solar energy output. There are large-scale programs seeking to tap into Africa’s solar power potential, such as the Mega Solar initiative. Why is Africa good for solar power? Most of the continent has sunshine year-round; the desert and savanna regions of Africa represent the planet’s largest cloud-free area!

Which African Country Is Leading in Solar Energy?

South Africa has the largest solar energy capacity in Africa, at around 2,373 MW, according to the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association.

World Access to Electricity as of 2020

Rank Country Percentage of Population With Access to Electricity
1 United Arab Emirates 100.00
1 Argentina 100.00
1 Armenia 100.00
1 Azerbaijan 100.00
1 Belgium 100.00
1 Bosnia and Herzegovina 100.00
1 Belarus 100.00
1 Brazil 100.00
1 Brunei 100.00
1 Canada 100.00
1 Switzerland 100.00
1 China 100.00
1 Colombia 100.00
1 Cyprus 100.00
1 Germany 100.00
1 Denmark 100.00
1 Egypt 100.00
1 Estonia 100.00
1 Finland 100.00
1 United Kingdom 100.00
1 Greece 100.00
1 Greenland 100.00
1 Hong Kong 100.00
1 Croatia 100.00
1 Iraq 100.00
1 Jamaica 100.00
1 South Korea 100.00
1 Kuwait 100.00
1 Sri Lanka 100.00
1 Macao 100.00
1 Albania 100.00
1 Andorra 100.00
1 Antigua and Barbuda 100.00
1 Australia 100.00
1 Austria 100.00
1 Malta 100.00
1 Bahrain 100.00
1 The Bahamas 100.00
1 Barbados 100.00
1 Bhutan 100.00
1 Chile 100.00
1 Cuba 100.00
1 Cayman Islands 100.00
1 Czechia 100.00
1 Dominica 100.00
1 Dominican Republic 100.00
1 Spain 100.00
1 Fiji 100.00
1 France 100.00
1 Georgia 100.00
1 Hungary 100.00
1 Ireland 100.00
1 Iran 100.00
1 Iceland 100.00
1 Israel 100.00
1 Italy 100.00
1 St. Kitts and Nevis 100.00
1 Laos 100.00
1 Lebanon 100.00
1 Japan 100.00
1 Kazakhstan 100.00
1 St. Lucia 100.00
1 Liechtenstein 100.00
1 Lithuania 100.00
1 Luxembourg 100.00
1 Latvia 100.00
1 Morocco 100.00
1 Monaco 100.00
1 Moldova 100.00
1 North Macedonia 100.00
1 Netherlands 100.00
1 Norway 100.00
1 Nauru 100.00
1 Oman 100.00
1 Palau 100.00
1 Portugal 100.00
1 Qatar 100.00
1 Russia 100.00
1 Singapore 100.00
1 Slovakia 100.00
1 Slovenia 100.00
1 Seychelles 100.00
1 Trinidad and Tobago 100.00
1 Tunisia 100.00
1 Ukraine 100.00
1 Uruguay 100.00
1 United States 100.00
1 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 100.00
1 Vietnam 100.00
1 Montenegro 100.00
1 Malaysia 100.00
1 New Caledonia 100.00
1 New Zealand 100.00
1 Paraguay 100.00
1 Romania 100.00
1 Saudi Arabia 100.00
1 El Salvador 100.00
1 San Marino 100.00
1 Serbia 100.00
1 Sweden 100.00
1 Thailand 100.00
1 Turkmenistan 100.00
1 Tonga 100.00
1 Turkey 100.00
1 Uzbekistan 100.00
1 Venezuela 100.00
1 Samoa 100.00
1 Poland 100.00
1 Puerto Rico 100.00
110 Kyrgyzstan 99.98
111 Costa Rica 99.90
111 Jordan 99.90
113 Algeria 99.80
114 Tajikistan 99.78
115 Bulgaria 99.70
116 Tuvalu 99.69
117 Mauritius 99.66
118 Mexico 99.40
119 Peru 99.31
120 India 99.00
121 Ecuador 98.85
122 Suriname 98.20
123 Mongolia 98.10
124 Afghanistan 97.70
125 Bolivia 97.55
126 Belize 97.11
127 Guatemala 97.06
128 Indonesia 96.95
129 Philippines 96.84
130 Panama 96.70
131 Bangladesh 96.20
132 Timor-Leste 96.12
133 Cabo Verde 94.16
134 Grenada 93.59
135 Honduras 93.21
136 Guyana 92.54
137 Kiribati 91.96
138 Gabon 91.57
139 Nepal 89.90
140 Syria 89.14
141 Nicaragua 88.91
142 Comoros 86.74
143 Cambodia 86.40
144 Ghana 85.87
145 South Africa 84.39
146 Eswatini 79.73
147 São Tomé and Principe 76.56
148 Pakistan 75.38
149 Yemen 73.76
150 Solomon Islands 73.35
151 Botswana 71.99
152 Kenya 71.44
153 Myanmar 70.40
154 Senegal 70.37
155 Libya 69.71
156 Côte d'Ivoire 69.68
157 Vanuatu 67.33
158 Equatorial Guinea 66.75
159 Cameroon 64.72
160 The Gambia 62.27
161 Djibouti 61.77
162 Papua New Guinea 60.40
163 Namibia 56.26
164 Nigeria 55.40
165 Sudan 55.39
166 Togo 54.00
167 Zimbabwe 52.75
168 North Korea 52.31
169 Eritrea 52.17
170 Ethiopia 51.09
171 Mali 50.56
172 Somalia 49.73
173 Congo 49.52
174 Lesotho 47.35
175 Mauritania 47.35
176 Haiti 46.93
177 Angola 46.89
178 Rwanda 46.60
179 Guinea 44.67
180 Zambia 44.52
181 Uganda 42.07
182 Benin 41.41
183 Tanzania 39.90
184 Madagascar 33.74
185 Guinea-Bissau 33.34
186 Mozambique 30.60
187 Liberia 27.53
188 Sierra Leone 26.20
189 Niger 19.25
190 Democratic Republic of the Congo 19.10
191 Burkina Faso 18.96
192 Central African Republic 15.47
193 Malawi 14.87
194 Burundi 11.74
195 Chad 11.08

 

Written and designed by Joe Robertson