Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Tanzania
Tanzania: Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas was 85.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Tanzania, 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 Tanzania stood at 85.2%. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 59.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Tanzania peaked at 85.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 22.3%, in 1993.
That places Tanzania 186th 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 Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 23.9% | — |
| 1993 | 22.3% | -6.7% |
| 1994 | 23.9% | +7.1% |
| 1995 | 25.4% | +6.6% |
| 1996 | 35.5% | +39.6% |
| 1997 | 28.5% | -19.7% |
| 1998 | 30.0% | +5.3% |
| 1999 | 27.3% | -9.1% |
| 2000 | 32.7% | +19.8% |
| 2001 | 34.3% | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 35.9% | +4.7% |
| 2003 | 36.5% | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 38.9% | +6.6% |
| 2005 | 40.6% | +4.4% |
| 2006 | 42.3% | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 44.0% | +4.0% |
| 2008 | 40.1% | -8.9% |
| 2009 | 43.5% | +8.5% |
| 2010 | 46.2% | +6.2% |
| 2011 | 42.9% | -7.1% |
| 2012 | 46.4% | +8.2% |
| 2013 | 50.3% | +8.4% |
| 2014 | 53.6% | +6.6% |
| 2015 | 58.4% | +9.0% |
| 2016 | 65.3% | +11.8% |
| 2017 | 64.8% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 67.9% | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 73.2% | +7.8% |
| 2020 | 72.9% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 77.3% | +6.0% |
| 2022 | 74.7% | -3.4% |
| 2023 | 82.4% | +10.3% |
| 2024 | 85.2% | +3.4% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 85.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 97.0%, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 85.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 85.3%, 100% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Tanzania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +39.6% | 25.4% | 35.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 27.1% | 22.3% | 35.5% | 8 |
| 2000s | 38.9% | 32.7% | 44.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.9% | 42.9% | 73.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.5% | 72.9% | 85.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More energy & mining data for Tanzania
- 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 19.9% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 1.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Tanzania?
- Access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas in Tanzania was 85.2% 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 85.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.3% in 1993.
- How does Tanzania rank for access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas?
- Tanzania ranks 186th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 59.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.