Share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access in Nigeria
Nigeria: Share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access was 23.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access in Nigeria, 1990–2024
Source: SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of rural population.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 23.5% for share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access in 2024.
That represents a change of down 28.6% on the previous year and down 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access in Nigeria peaked at 34.0% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 4.0%, in 1990.
That places Nigeria 196th out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.0% | — |
| 1991 | 14.3% | +252.5% |
| 1992 | 15.0% | +5.0% |
| 1993 | 15.7% | +4.8% |
| 1994 | 16.4% | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 17.2% | +4.5% |
| 1996 | 17.9% | +4.3% |
| 1997 | 18.7% | +4.2% |
| 1998 | 19.4% | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 24.3% | +25.2% |
| 2000 | 21.5% | -11.6% |
| 2001 | 21.8% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 22.1% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 32.7% | +48.0% |
| 2004 | 22.8% | -30.3% |
| 2005 | 23.1% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 23.5% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 25.3% | +7.7% |
| 2008 | 25.6% | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 24.6% | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 23.5% | -4.5% |
| 2011 | 31.0% | +31.9% |
| 2012 | 27.0% | -12.9% |
| 2013 | 31.6% | +17.0% |
| 2014 | 27.1% | -14.2% |
| 2015 | 25.9% | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 34.0% | +31.3% |
| 2017 | 22.6% | -33.5% |
| 2018 | 31.0% | +37.2% |
| 2019 | 25.5% | -17.7% |
| 2020 | 24.6% | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 26.3% | +6.9% |
| 2022 | 27.0% | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 32.9% | +21.9% |
| 2024 | 23.5% | -28.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.3% | 4.0% | 24.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.3% | 21.5% | 32.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.9% | 22.6% | 34.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.9% | 23.5% | 32.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 193 Guinea-Bissau 24.9% compare
- 193 Sierra Leone 24.9% compare
- 195 Somalia 24.4% compare
- 197 Congo 19.4% compare
- 198 Haiti 15.0% compare
- 199 Burkina Faso 12.7% compare
More energy & mining data for Nigeria
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 2.96 % 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)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (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)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 38.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access in Nigeria?
- Share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access in Nigeria was 23.5% 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 share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 34.0% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.0% in 1990.
- How does Nigeria rank for share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access?
- Nigeria ranks 196th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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 Share of rural vs. urban population with electricity access. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Having access to electricity is defined in international statistics as having an electricity source that can provide very basic lighting, and charge a phone or power a radio for 4 hours per day.