Wiktor Wise
Access to electricity has been increasing globally, with most of this increase coming from low-to-middle-income economies. However, access to electricity is not equally distributed between rural and urban areas. In 2020, approximately two-thirds of the world's population had access to clean fuels for cooking, a significant increase from about half of the global population in 2000. Despite this progress, there are still a considerable number of people who are unable to use electricity due to unreliable power or financial constraints. This figure is estimated to be 1.18 billion people, with 685 million people living without any electricity access in 2022. This is particularly prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa, which has three-quarters of the world's population without access to electricity.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Global population without access to electricity in 2022 | 685 million |
| Global population without access to electricity in 2024 | 737 million |
| Population without access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2022 | 570 million |
| Population without access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024 | 80% of the global total |
| Population without access to electricity in South Sudan in 2022 | 8.4% |
| Population without access to electricity in Burundi in 2022 | 10% |
| Population unable to use electricity worldwide | 1.18 billion |
| Population without access to electricity in 1998 | 1.5 billion |
| Population without access to electricity in 2015 | Below 1 billion |
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What You'll Learn
Energy poverty rates in Sub-Saharan Africa
Energy poverty is a significant issue in Sub-Saharan Africa, with about three-quarters of the world's population lacking access to electricity residing in the region. This equates to roughly 600 million people, and it is a major socio-economic impediment. The World Bank estimates that if Sub-Saharan Africa had dependable electricity, GDP growth in the region could be up to 2% higher annually.
The energy poverty rates in Sub-Saharan Africa are influenced by within-country differences in population density, remoteness, and land terrain characteristics. The availability of recent data for Nigeria, a significant country in the region, is lacking, which adds uncertainty to the estimates for the region after 2019. However, it is clear that Sub-Saharan Africa has a substantial energy access deficit compared to other regions.
While access to electricity has increased globally, with most of the increase occurring in low-to-middle-income economies, disparities persist between rural and urban areas. Rural regions frequently have lower access to electricity than urban areas. This disparity is particularly evident in Sub-Saharan Africa, where population growth has led to an increase in the total number of people without access to electricity, despite the share of the population with electricity rising.
The use of solid fuels for cooking and heating is prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa, posing significant health risks due to indoor air pollution. Transitioning to modern, cleaner energy sources, such as natural gas, ethanol, or electric technologies, is crucial to improving health outcomes. Additionally, the high cost of electricity makes it unaffordable for many, even when connections are available.
To address energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, innovative solutions are being explored. The region's young and tech-savvy population is embracing off-grid solar energy, bypassing unreliable grid connections and expensive, dangerous kerosene lamps. Uganda is at the forefront of this energy revolution, with solar companies poised to meet the growing demand for energy.
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The impact of population density
While access to electricity has been increasing globally, with a notable jump from 75% of the global population having access in 2000 to 90% in 2020, the impact of population density on electricity access cannot be overlooked. Population density, along with remoteness and land terrain characteristics, plays a significant role in determining energy poverty rates within countries.
In general, urban areas tend to have higher access to electricity than rural regions. This disparity is evident in Sub-Saharan Africa, where over 80% of the urban population had access to electricity in 2022, compared to only 31% of rural dwellers. The region's total number of people without access to electricity increased until 2016 due to population growth outpacing the establishment of new connections.
Despite global efforts to improve electricity access, the impact of population density is evident in the varying rates of access between urban and rural areas. Additionally, population growth in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa has led to an increase in the total number of people without access to electricity, underscoring the need to accelerate progress to achieve universal access by 2030.
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The rural-urban divide in electricity access
Access to electricity has been increasing globally, with most of this increase coming from low-to-middle-income economies. However, access to electricity is not equally distributed between rural and urban areas. In 2020, approximately two-thirds of the world's population had access to clean fuels for cooking, a significant increase from about half of the global population in 2000. This improvement underscores the substantial progress made over two decades in enhancing access to more sustainable and healthier cooking options worldwide.
Despite this progress, a rural-urban divide in electricity access persists. As of 2014, 482 million of the 1.06 billion people without access to electricity lived in rural parts of Africa, with most of them residing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Electrification rates in these areas were as low as 4-5% during the period from 2012 to 2014. In contrast, urban parts of Africa saw an increase in electricity access from 70.4% in 1991 to 76% in 2014. However, rapid urban population growth offset these gains, and urban access rates have increased only marginally from 1990 to 2014.
The access gap between urban and rural populations narrowed to 20 percentage points in 2014, down from 35 percentage points in 1990. While progress in rural electrification has been improving, it has not kept pace with urban areas. This disparity is also evident in other regions, such as India, where surveyed states showed a rural-urban divide in access to electricity, with the rural population having lower access.
Policy measures can play a role in addressing this divide. Studies have shown that electricity price reform policies can influence the electricity consumption behaviour of both urban and rural residents, with potential implications for carbon reduction goals. However, the impact of such policies may differ between urban and rural areas, and the growth rate of household electricity consumption is generally larger for urban residents.
To accelerate progress towards universal access to electricity, it is crucial to address energy poverty and ensure that energy is adequately, reliably, and affordably available for all. This includes transitioning from traditional cooking and heating methods to modern, cleaner alternatives, such as non-solid fuels. By leveraging digital tools and geospatial data, more integrated approaches can be pursued to address the just energy transition as a priority for fundamental economic development.
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The impact of energy poverty on health and gender equality
While access to electricity has been increasing globally, with most of this increase coming from low-to-middle-income economies, it is not equally distributed between rural and urban areas. In 1998, more than 1.5 billion people didn't have electricity; by 2015, this had fallen below one billion. However, this figure has decreased further in recent years, with Sub-Saharan Africa now home to three-quarters of the world's population without access to electricity.
Energy poverty negatively impacts health and well-being. People with insufficient access to energy cannot benefit from electricity, transportation, and gas, which can lead to mental health issues such as depression and a decline in human development. Energy poverty is generally attributed to the Global South and refers to the lack of modern energy services and low energy consumption. It is associated with socioeconomic development, well-being, and poverty.
The use of solid fuels for cooking is a significant risk factor for deaths and morbidity from indoor air pollution. Transitioning to non-solid fuels such as natural gas or electric technologies can help improve health outcomes. Additionally, access to electricity can reduce health risks associated with burning solid fuels, which is particularly relevant in Africa.
Climate change also plays a role in energy poverty and its health impacts. Extreme weather events can exacerbate existing hardships and impact the resilience of vulnerable populations, exposing them to greater health risks.
Energy poverty reduction policies are crucial for enhancing gender equality in education. Access to energy promotes socio-economic development, and research has shown that electrification improves the gender parity index for primary, secondary, and tertiary education. Female literacy, health, employment, and information and communication technologies are transmission channels through which access to electricity and clean cooking fuels and technologies can contribute to gender equality at all levels of education.
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The use of solid fuels for cooking
While access to electricity has been increasing globally, with the number of people gaining access on any average day since the millennium being around 334,000, the progress is still too slow to reach the goal of universal access by 2030. In 2024, the number of people without access to electricity worldwide was 737 million, with the biggest decline recorded in the developing Asian region. However, this value increased in Sub-Saharan Africa, which accounted for 80% of the global total in 2024.
Solid fuels can be categorized into renewable, biomass, and fossil fuels, with renewable solid biomass fuels including firewood, charcoal, dung, and agricultural residues. Firewood is used in an unprocessed manner, while charcoal, dung, and agricultural residues are often processed into briquettes, pellets, or sticks. The heat output of solid fuels depends on their carbon and moisture content, with moisture reducing the net usable energy output.
While the use of solid fuels is declining globally, it is rising sharply in Africa, with over 1 billion people in Southeast Asia and 95% of users in Sub-Saharan Africa depending on solid fuels for cooking and heating. The transition to cleaner cooking fuels is essential to improving health outcomes and reducing indoor air pollution, especially in regions with limited access to electricity.
In summary, while access to electricity is improving globally, the use of solid fuels for cooking remains prevalent in certain regions, posing health risks and contributing to indoor air pollution. To mitigate these issues, transitioning to modern, cleaner cooking methods is necessary, with a particular focus on regions with limited access to electricity.
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Frequently asked questions
As of 2022, 685 million people live without access to electricity, and this number is expected to increase to 737 million by 2024. This means that around 10% of the world's population has no access to electricity. However, this figure does not include people who have unstable electricity supplies.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the least access to electricity, with 570 million people living without electricity in 2022. This accounts for more than 80% of the global population without access. South Sudan and Burundi are the least electrified countries in the world, with only 8.4% and 10% of their populations having access to electricity, respectively.
Population growth, the global energy crisis, inflation, growing debt distress in low-income countries, and increased geopolitical tensions have all contributed to the lack of electricity access. Additionally, there are disparities between urban and rural areas, with rural areas often having lower access rates.
The lack of access to electricity and clean cooking fuels has significant health, environmental, and social implications. It contributes to 3.2 million premature deaths each year and affects gender equality, as women in these areas spend up to 40 hours a week gathering firewood and cooking, limiting their opportunities for employment and participation in local decision-making.
