Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population) was 46.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Access to electricity, rural in Zimbabwe, 1992–2024
Source: SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of rural population.
Analysis
In 2024, access to electricity, rural in Zimbabwe stood at 46.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.3% on the previous year and up 505.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity, rural in Zimbabwe peaked at 51.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.1%, in 1992.
That places Zimbabwe 180th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 3.1% | — |
| 1993 | 6.8% | +122.3% |
| 1994 | 4.2% | -37.9% |
| 1995 | 7.0% | +65.9% |
| 1996 | 7.1% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 7.2% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 7.3% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 13.9% | +89.2% |
| 2000 | 7.3% | -47.4% |
| 2001 | 7.6% | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 7.2% | -5.3% |
| 2003 | 8.8% | +22.2% |
| 2004 | 9.8% | +11.4% |
| 2005 | 10.7% | +9.2% |
| 2006 | 9.4% | -12.1% |
| 2007 | 12.7% | +35.1% |
| 2008 | 13.8% | +8.7% |
| 2009 | 19.6% | +42.0% |
| 2010 | 15.8% | -19.4% |
| 2011 | 14.1% | -10.8% |
| 2012 | 23.8% | +68.8% |
| 2013 | 18.9% | -20.6% |
| 2014 | 7.7% | -59.3% |
| 2015 | 10.9% | +41.6% |
| 2016 | 21.9% | +100.9% |
| 2017 | 24.2% | +10.5% |
| 2018 | 26.4% | +9.1% |
| 2019 | 28.3% | +7.2% |
| 2020 | 37.1% | +31.1% |
| 2021 | 31.6% | -14.8% |
| 2022 | 33.7% | +6.6% |
| 2023 | 51.4% | +52.5% |
| 2024 | 46.6% | -9.3% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 46.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 81.1%, 57% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 46.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 40.2%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.1% | 3.1% | 13.9% | 8 |
| 2000s | 10.7% | 7.2% | 19.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.2% | 7.7% | 28.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.1% | 31.6% | 51.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More agriculture & rural data for Zimbabwe
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -1.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0001 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1777 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.2864 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0003 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.8916 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 34.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0947 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 286.19 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8815 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity, rural in Zimbabwe?
- Access to electricity, rural in Zimbabwe was 46.6% in 2024, according to SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest access to electricity, rural recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 51.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest access to electricity, rural recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.1% in 1992.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for access to electricity, rural?
- Zimbabwe ranks 180th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity, rural rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 505.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Access to electricity, rural is the percentage of rural population with access to electricity.