Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Pakistan
Pakistan: Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas was 98.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Pakistan, 1998–2024
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 Pakistan stood at 98.4%.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Pakistan peaked at 100.0% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 93.1%, in 1998.
Pakistan ranks 158th of 212 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 93.1% | — |
| 1999 | 93.4% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 93.6% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 93.9% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 94.1% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 94.3% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 94.6% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 94.9% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 95.2% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 95.5% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 95.8% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 96.2% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 96.5% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 96.9% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 97.3% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 97.6% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 97.9% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 98.2% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 98.5% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 98.8% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 99.1% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 99.3% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 99.6% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 99.9% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 100.0% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 98.4% | -1.6% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 98.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 97.0%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 98.4% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 100.0%, 98% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 93.3% | 93.1% | 93.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 94.8% | 93.6% | 96.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.0% | 96.5% | 99.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.6% | 98.4% | 100.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More energy & mining data for Pakistan
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 2.12 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 31.5% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 3.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Pakistan?
- Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Pakistan was 98.4% 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 Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2022.
- What is the lowest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 93.1% in 1998.
- How does Pakistan rank for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas?
- Pakistan ranks 158th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Pakistan 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 — 27 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.