Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Rwanda
Rwanda: Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas was 88.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Rwanda, 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
The most recent figure for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Rwanda is 88.0%, measured in 2024.
The figure is down 11.9% on the previous year and up 22.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Rwanda peaked at 99.9% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 18.1%, in 1993.
Rwanda ranks 180th of 212 countries on this measure, 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 Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 31.1% | — |
| 1993 | 18.1% | -41.9% |
| 1994 | 20.4% | +12.8% |
| 1995 | 22.7% | +11.3% |
| 1996 | 25.0% | +10.1% |
| 1997 | 27.3% | +9.1% |
| 1998 | 29.5% | +8.3% |
| 1999 | 31.8% | +7.6% |
| 2000 | 38.9% | +22.4% |
| 2001 | 35.9% | -7.7% |
| 2002 | 38.2% | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 40.5% | +6.0% |
| 2004 | 42.9% | +5.9% |
| 2005 | 25.1% | -41.5% |
| 2006 | 47.6% | +89.6% |
| 2007 | 50.0% | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 28.1% | -43.8% |
| 2009 | 54.9% | +95.4% |
| 2010 | 44.5% | -18.9% |
| 2011 | 58.2% | +30.8% |
| 2012 | 67.6% | +16.2% |
| 2013 | 61.5% | -9.0% |
| 2014 | 71.8% | +16.7% |
| 2015 | 72.9% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 80.0% | +9.7% |
| 2017 | 84.8% | +6.0% |
| 2018 | 85.8% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 86.4% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 93.9% | +8.7% |
| 2021 | 98.0% | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 98.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.9% | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 88.0% | -11.9% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 88.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 77.0%, 1.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 88.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 85.3%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Rwanda 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 | +95.4% | 28.1% | 54.9% |
| 2006 | +89.6% | 25.1% | 47.6% |
| 2008 | -43.8% | 50.0% | 28.1% |
| 1993 | -41.9% | 31.1% | 18.1% |
| 2005 | -41.5% | 42.9% | 25.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.7% | 18.1% | 31.8% | 8 |
| 2000s | 40.2% | 25.1% | 54.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.3% | 44.5% | 86.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.6% | 88.0% | 99.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More energy & mining data for Rwanda
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 0.0006 % 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 15.3% (2022)
- Ores and metals imports 1.3% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Rwanda?
- Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Rwanda was 88.0% 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 2023.
- What is the lowest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.1% in 1993.
- How does Rwanda rank for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas?
- Rwanda ranks 180th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.