Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Nepal
Nepal: Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas was 99.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Nepal, 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 Nepal stood at 99.7%. That is the highest value across all 29 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.9% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Nepal peaked at 99.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 78.4%, in 1996.
That places Nepal 145th out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 29 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 82.3% | 78.4% | 84.3% | 4 |
| 2000s | 87.9% | 85.4% | 90.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 95.3% | 94.1% | 97.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 96.4% | 94.2% | 99.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 146 Bangladesh 99.5% compare
- 147 El Salvador 99.4% compare
- 147 Mongolia 99.4% compare
More energy & mining data for Nepal
- Fuel imports 23.0% (2022)
- Ores and metals imports 2.3% (2022)
- Ores and metals exports 1.4% (2022)
- Gas production 0 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 0 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 0 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Gas production per person 0 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel exports 0.0% (2022)
- Electric power transmission and distribution losses 14.4% (2023)
- Share of dietary energy supply from carbohydrates vs. GDP per capita 69.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Nepal?
- Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Nepal was 99.7% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 99.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.4% in 1996.
- How does Nepal rank for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas?
- Nepal ranks 145th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nepal 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.