Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Benin
Benin: Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas was 71.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Benin, 1996–2024
Source: SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
In 2024, access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Benin stood at 71.6%. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
The figure is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 28.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Benin peaked at 71.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 34.4%, in 1996.
Benin ranks 201st of 212 countries 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 urban vs. rural areas in Benin, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 34.4% | — |
| 1997 | 44.8% | +30.2% |
| 1998 | 45.7% | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 46.6% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 47.5% | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 49.6% | +4.4% |
| 2002 | 49.2% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 50.1% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 51.0% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 51.9% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 56.6% | +9.1% |
| 2007 | 53.8% | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 54.7% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 55.7% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 65.4% | +17.4% |
| 2011 | 67.0% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 68.6% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 61.0% | -11.1% |
| 2014 | 55.8% | -8.5% |
| 2015 | 51.7% | -7.3% |
| 2016 | 62.5% | +20.9% |
| 2017 | 54.2% | -13.3% |
| 2018 | 64.3% | +18.6% |
| 2019 | 65.2% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 66.1% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 67.0% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 71.1% | +6.1% |
| 2023 | 70.3% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 71.6% | +1.8% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 71.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 97.0%, 74% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Benin's 71.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 85.3%, 84% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Benin changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +30.2% | 34.4% | 44.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.9% | 34.4% | 46.6% | 4 |
| 2000s | 52.0% | 47.5% | 56.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.6% | 51.7% | 68.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.2% | 66.1% | 71.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More energy & mining data for Benin
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 2.34 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 13.7% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Benin?
- Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Benin was 71.6% in 2024, according to SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 71.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.4% in 1996.
- How does Benin rank for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas?
- Benin ranks 201st out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.