Access to electricity, rural in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Access to electricity, rural was 35.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity, rural in Africa Western and Central, 1994–2024
Source: SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of rural population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for access to electricity, rural in Africa Western and Central is 35.0%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of up 20.7% on the previous year and up 59.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity, rural in Africa Western and Central peaked at 35.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.2%, in 1994.
That places Africa Western and Central 46th out of 47 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Access to electricity, rural in Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 12.2% | — |
| 1995 | 12.6% | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 12.3% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 14.9% | +20.6% |
| 1998 | 14.0% | -5.8% |
| 1999 | 17.6% | +25.5% |
| 2000 | 16.4% | -6.6% |
| 2001 | 15.8% | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 15.3% | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 20.6% | +34.4% |
| 2004 | 16.8% | -18.3% |
| 2005 | 17.1% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 17.7% | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 17.2% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 19.0% | +10.6% |
| 2009 | 18.4% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 20.3% | +10.5% |
| 2011 | 21.4% | +5.4% |
| 2012 | 18.6% | -13.0% |
| 2013 | 22.6% | +21.3% |
| 2014 | 21.9% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 22.4% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 26.7% | +19.2% |
| 2017 | 23.0% | -14.0% |
| 2018 | 28.0% | +22.0% |
| 2019 | 26.3% | -6.3% |
| 2020 | 24.7% | -6.0% |
| 2021 | 25.8% | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 25.2% | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 29.0% | +15.0% |
| 2024 | 35.0% | +20.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.9% | 12.2% | 17.6% | 6 |
| 2000s | 17.4% | 15.3% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.1% | 18.6% | 28.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.9% | 24.7% | 35.0% | 5 |
More agriculture & rural data for Africa Western and Central
- Rural population, per capita 0.4652 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 21.9% (2025)
- Rural population 247.88 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Rural population 46.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 4.2% (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 350.89 current US$ per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2193 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity, rural in Africa Western and Central?
- Access to electricity, rural in Africa Western and Central was 35.0% in 2024, according to SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest access to electricity, rural recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 35.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest access to electricity, rural recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.2% in 1994.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for access to electricity, rural?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 46th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity, rural rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is up 59.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central data come from?
- The figures come from SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB), published as part of Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Access to electricity, rural is the percentage of rural population with access to electricity.