Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Central African Republic
Central African Republic: Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas was 38.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Central African Republic, 1995–2024
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
Central African Republic recorded 38.8% for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in 2024. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 34.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Central African Republic peaked at 38.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 8.0%, in 1995.
Central African Republic ranks 211th of 212 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Central African Republic, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 8.0% | — |
| 1996 | 9.2% | +14.5% |
| 1997 | 10.1% | +10.7% |
| 1998 | 11.1% | +9.5% |
| 1999 | 12.0% | +8.5% |
| 2000 | 15.6% | +29.6% |
| 2001 | 13.9% | -10.9% |
| 2002 | 14.8% | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 15.7% | +6.1% |
| 2004 | 16.6% | +5.7% |
| 2005 | 17.6% | +6.0% |
| 2006 | 20.3% | +15.3% |
| 2007 | 19.6% | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 11.9% | -39.3% |
| 2009 | 21.6% | +81.5% |
| 2010 | 24.9% | +15.3% |
| 2011 | 26.1% | +4.8% |
| 2012 | 27.1% | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 28.0% | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 28.8% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 29.7% | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 30.5% | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 31.4% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 32.2% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 32.1% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 33.9% | +5.6% |
| 2021 | 34.7% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 34.7% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 37.4% | +7.8% |
| 2024 | 38.8% | +3.7% |
Central African Republic compared with similar countries
- Central African Republic's 38.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 77.0%, 50% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Central African Republic's 38.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 85.3%, 45% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Central African Republic 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +81.5% | 11.9% | 21.6% |
| 2008 | -39.3% | 19.6% | 11.9% |
| 2000 | +29.6% | 12.0% | 15.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.1% | 8.0% | 12.0% | 5 |
| 2000s | 16.8% | 11.9% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.1% | 24.9% | 32.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.9% | 33.9% | 38.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Central African Republic
- 208 Liberia 55.5% compare
- 209 Democratic Republic of Congo 55.0% compare
- 210 Chad 51.0% compare
- 212 South Sudan 22.8% compare
More energy & mining data for Central African Republic
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 5.69 % 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 26.5% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Central African Republic?
- Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Central African Republic was 38.8% 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 Central African Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 38.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Central African Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 1995.
- How does Central African Republic rank for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas?
- Central African Republic ranks 211th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Central African Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Central African Republic 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 — 30 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.