Electric power transmission and distribution losses in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Electric power transmission and distribution losses was 25.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Electric power transmission and distribution losses in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1971–2024
Source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA). Measured in % of output.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 25.8% for electric power transmission and distribution losses in 2024. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 92.9% on the previous year and up 111.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electric power transmission and distribution losses in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 25.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 1986.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 1st out of 46 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Electric power transmission and distribution losses in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of output | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 7.9% | — |
| 1972 | 7.3% | -7.7% |
| 1973 | 7.5% | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 7.4% | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 7.7% | +4.0% |
| 1976 | 7.7% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 7.6% | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 8.1% | +6.7% |
| 1979 | 9.1% | +12.0% |
| 1980 | 9.2% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 9.7% | +6.2% |
| 1982 | 8.6% | -11.8% |
| 1983 | 9.1% | +6.4% |
| 1984 | 8.7% | -5.3% |
| 1985 | 8.4% | -2.7% |
| 1986 | 6.6% | -21.6% |
| 1987 | 7.5% | +14.1% |
| 1988 | 7.4% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 7.7% | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 7.8% | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 8.4% | +6.6% |
| 1992 | 9.2% | +9.9% |
| 1993 | 8.7% | -5.8% |
| 1994 | 9.2% | +6.8% |
| 1995 | 8.1% | -11.8% |
| 1996 | 9.1% | +11.3% |
| 1997 | 9.2% | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 9.7% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 9.8% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 10.4% | +5.6% |
| 2001 | 10.5% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 9.6% | -8.3% |
| 2003 | 10.7% | +11.3% |
| 2004 | 12.2% | +14.3% |
| 2005 | 11.2% | -8.6% |
| 2006 | 11.3% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 10.8% | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 11.4% | +6.3% |
| 2009 | 12.2% | +6.8% |
| 2010 | 12.0% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 11.7% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 11.7% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 11.6% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 12.2% | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 11.9% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 12.3% | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 11.8% | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 12.3% | +4.1% |
| 2019 | 12.2% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 13.3% | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 13.3% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 13.3% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 13.4% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 25.8% | +92.9% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Electric power transmission and distribution losses in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +92.9% | 13.4% | 25.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.8% | 7.3% | 9.1% | 9 |
| 1980s | 8.3% | 6.6% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.9% | 7.8% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.0% | 9.6% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.0% | 11.6% | 12.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.8% | 13.3% | 25.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More energy & mining data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Fuel imports 23.6% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 2.0% (2024)
- Ores and metals exports 16.1% (2024)
- Fuel exports 40.2% (2024)
- Mineral rents 2.9% (2021)
- Natural gas rents 0.5% (2021)
- Total natural resources rents 10.0% (2021)
- Alternative and nuclear energy 17.4% (2024)
- Electric power consumption 376.79 kWh per capita (2023)
- Combustible renewables and waste 62.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electric power transmission and distribution losses in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Electric power transmission and distribution losses in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 25.8% in 2024, according to IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA).
- What is the highest electric power transmission and distribution losses recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 25.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest electric power transmission and distribution losses recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 1986.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for electric power transmission and distribution losses?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 1st out of 46 groups with data for 2024.
- Is electric power transmission and distribution losses rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 111.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), published as part of Electric power transmission and distribution losses (% of output). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Electric power transmission and distribution losses include losses in transmission between sources of supply and points of distribution and in the distribution to consumers, including pilferage. The losses are expressed as a share of the total output.