Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population) in Nepal
Nepal: Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population) was 94.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Access to electricity, rural in Nepal, 1996–2024
Source: SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of rural population.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 94.2% for access to electricity, rural in 2024. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity, rural in Nepal peaked at 94.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 1997.
Nepal ranks 146th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population) in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 10.2% | — |
| 1997 | 9.4% | -7.1% |
| 1998 | 13.0% | +38.1% |
| 1999 | 16.6% | +27.7% |
| 2000 | 21.3% | +28.1% |
| 2001 | 14.7% | -31.0% |
| 2002 | 28.0% | +90.5% |
| 2003 | 31.5% | +12.5% |
| 2004 | 28.5% | -9.5% |
| 2005 | 38.6% | +35.4% |
| 2006 | 44.1% | +14.2% |
| 2007 | 45.8% | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 49.5% | +8.1% |
| 2009 | 53.2% | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 63.2% | +18.8% |
| 2011 | 61.7% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 70.9% | +14.9% |
| 2013 | 73.5% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 82.1% | +11.7% |
| 2015 | 79.0% | -3.8% |
| 2016 | 89.8% | +13.7% |
| 2017 | 84.6% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 93.5% | +10.5% |
| 2022 | 93.7% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 93.4% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 94.2% | +0.9% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 94.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 81.1%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 94.2% is below the median for South Asia, which is 100.0%, 94% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population) in Nepal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +90.5% | 14.7% | 28.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.3% | 9.4% | 16.6% | 4 |
| 2000s | 35.5% | 14.7% | 53.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 77.6% | 61.7% | 93.5% | 9 |
| 2020s | 93.8% | 93.4% | 94.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More agriculture & rural data for Nepal
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -1.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.0626 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.8409 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0001 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.1232 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.5 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2156 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 331.1 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.7937 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity, rural in Nepal?
- Access to electricity, rural in Nepal was 94.2% in 2024, according to SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest access to electricity, rural recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 94.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest access to electricity, rural recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 1997.
- How does Nepal rank for access to electricity, rural?
- Nepal ranks 146th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity, rural rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nepal 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.