Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Namibia
Namibia: Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas was 77.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Namibia, 1992–2024
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 Namibia stood at 77.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Namibia peaked at 78.4% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 66.0%, in 1992.
That places Namibia 196th out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 66.0% | — |
| 1993 | 71.0% | +7.6% |
| 1994 | 70.7% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 70.9% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 71.0% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 71.2% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 71.3% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 71.5% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 73.2% | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 71.6% | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 71.7% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 71.8% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 71.9% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 72.1% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 72.2% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 77.6% | +7.5% |
| 2008 | 72.6% | -6.4% |
| 2009 | 78.4% | +8.0% |
| 2010 | 73.0% | -6.9% |
| 2011 | 70.1% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 73.4% | +4.7% |
| 2013 | 72.2% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 73.8% | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 74.6% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 69.3% | -7.1% |
| 2017 | 74.3% | +7.2% |
| 2018 | 74.4% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 74.5% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 74.7% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 74.7% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 74.8% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 75.0% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 77.2% | +2.9% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 77.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 97.0%, 80% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 77.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 85.3%, 90% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 70.5% | 66.0% | 71.5% | 8 |
| 2000s | 73.3% | 71.6% | 78.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.0% | 69.3% | 74.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 75.3% | 74.7% | 77.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More energy & mining data for Namibia
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 1.65 % 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 15.9% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 9.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Namibia?
- Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Namibia was 77.2% 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 Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 78.4% in 2009.
- What is the lowest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 66.0% in 1992.
- How does Namibia rank for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas?
- Namibia ranks 196th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia 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 — 33 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.