Bangladesh vs Nepal: Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas
Bangladesh
99.5%
in 2024
Nepal
99.7%
in 2024
Bangladesh rank
146th
Nepal rank
145th
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas over time
- Bangladesh
- Nepal
How they compare
Nepal currently reports 99.7% against 99.5% in Bangladesh, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Nepal ahead.
Bangladesh ranks 146th and Nepal ranks 145th of 212 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Bangladesh averaged higher in 1 and Nepal in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Bangladesh | Nepal | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 75.4% | 82.3% | 6.9% | Nepal |
| 2000s | 80.8% | 87.9% | 7.1% | Nepal |
| 2010s | 93.1% | 95.3% | 2.2% | Nepal |
| 2020s | 99.3% | 96.4% | 2.9% | Bangladesh |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas, Bangladesh or Nepal?
- Nepal, at 99.7% against 99.5% in Bangladesh as of 2024.
- What is the difference in access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas between Bangladesh and Nepal?
- 0.2%, with Nepal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Bangladesh and Nepal?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2024.
- How do Bangladesh and Nepal rank globally for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas?
- Bangladesh ranks 146th and Nepal ranks 145th of 212 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The definition used in international statistics adopts a very low cutoff for what it means to ‘have access to electricity’. It is defined as having an electricity source that can provide very basic lighting, and charge a phone or power a radio for 4 hours per day.