Access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Access to electricity was 55.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1996–2024
Source: SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2024, access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 55.1%. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 43.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 55.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 25.7%, in 2000.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 41st of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 28.5% | — |
| 1997 | 28.4% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 28.6% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 30.1% | +5.5% |
| 2000 | 25.7% | -14.7% |
| 2001 | 26.2% | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 27.3% | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 29.6% | +8.3% |
| 2004 | 29.4% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 29.4% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 31.2% | +6.3% |
| 2007 | 32.5% | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 32.4% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 32.6% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 33.3% | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 35.9% | +7.7% |
| 2012 | 36.8% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 38.0% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 38.4% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 39.2% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 43.8% | +11.8% |
| 2017 | 43.8% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 46.4% | +6.1% |
| 2019 | 47.2% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 48.5% | +2.9% |
| 2021 | 50.7% | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 51.5% | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 53.3% | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 55.1% | +3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.9% | 28.4% | 30.1% | 4 |
| 2000s | 29.6% | 25.7% | 32.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.3% | 33.3% | 47.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.8% | 48.5% | 55.1% | 5 |
More energy & mining data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Fuel imports 23.6% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 2.0% (2024)
- Ores and metals exports 16.1% (2024)
- Fuel exports 40.1% (2024)
- Electric power transmission and distribution losses 25.8% (2024)
- Mineral rents 2.9% (2021)
- Natural gas rents 0.5% (2021)
- Total natural resources rents 10.0% (2021)
- Alternative and nuclear energy 17.4% (2024)
- Electric power consumption 376.79 kWh per capita (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa was 55.1% in 2024, according to SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest access to electricity recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 55.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest access to electricity recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.7% in 2000.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for access to electricity?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB), published as part of Access to electricity (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Access to electricity is the percentage of population with access to electricity. Electrification data are collected from industry, national surveys and international sources.