Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Cameroon
Cameroon: Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas was 95.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Cameroon, 1991–2024
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
Cameroon recorded 95.6% for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 7.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Cameroon peaked at 95.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 63.0%, in 1991.
Cameroon ranks 168th of 212 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 72.4% | 63.0% | 79.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 81.0% | 73.0% | 90.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 89.6% | 87.4% | 93.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 94.8% | 93.9% | 95.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More energy & mining data for Cameroon
- Fuel imports 24.2% (2023)
- Ores and metals imports 1.5% (2023)
- Ores and metals exports 2.2% (2023)
- Gas production 27.35 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 939.02 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 27.35 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Gas production per person 939.02 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel exports 54.1% (2023)
- Electric power transmission and distribution losses 22.0% (2023)
- Share of dietary energy supply from carbohydrates vs. GDP per capita 71.4% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Cameroon?
- Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Cameroon was 95.6% 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 Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 95.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.0% in 1991.
- How does Cameroon rank for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas?
- Cameroon ranks 168th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Cameroon 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 — 34 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.