Access to electricity, urban in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Access to electricity, urban was 82.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity, urban in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1996–2024
Source: SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for access to electricity, urban in Sub-Saharan Africa is 82.9%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity, urban in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 82.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 62.9%, in 2000.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Access to electricity, urban in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 70.2% | — |
| 1997 | 68.1% | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 68.5% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 68.7% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 62.9% | -8.4% |
| 2001 | 63.0% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 64.2% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 65.2% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 65.5% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 66.4% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 67.0% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 68.9% | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 67.6% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 68.8% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 68.7% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 72.9% | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 72.9% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 72.9% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 72.9% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 72.7% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 75.4% | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 76.7% | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 75.9% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 77.7% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 78.7% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 81.1% | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 81.4% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 82.7% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 82.9% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 68.9% | 68.1% | 70.2% | 4 |
| 2000s | 65.9% | 62.9% | 68.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.9% | 68.7% | 77.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.3% | 78.7% | 82.9% | 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, urban in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Access to electricity, urban in Sub-Saharan Africa was 82.9% in 2024, according to SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest access to electricity, urban recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 82.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest access to electricity, urban recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.9% in 2000.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for access to electricity, urban?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity, urban rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.6%. 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, urban (% of urban 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, urban is the percentage of urban population with access to electricity.