World Energy Outlook 2015 Electricity Access Database

Definitions and approach

The International Energy Agencys World Energy Outlook first constructed a database on electrification
rates for WEO-2002. We have updated this database once again for WEO-2015, showing detailed data on
urban and rural electrification.
The general paucity of data on electricity access means that it must be gathered through a combination of
sources, including: IEA energy statistics; a network of contacts spanning governments, multilateral
development banks and country-level representatives of various international organisations; and, other
publicly available statistics, such as US Agency for International Development (USAID) supported DHS
survey data, the World Banks Living Standards Measurement Surveys (LSMS), the UN Economic
Commission for Latin America and the Caribbeans (ECLAC) statistical publications, and data from national
statistics agencies. In the small number of cases where no data could be provided through these channels
other sources were used. If electricity access data for 2013 was not available, data for the latest available
year was used.
For many countries, data on the urban and rural breakdown was collected, but if not available an estimate
was made on the basis of pre-existing data or a comparison to the average correlation between urban and
national electrification rates. Often only the percentage of households with a connection is known and
assumptions about an average household size are used to determine access rates as a percentage of the
population. To estimate the number of people without access, population data comes from OECD statistics
in conjunction with the United Nations Population Division reports World Urbanization Prospects: the 2014
Revision Population Database, and World Population Prospects: the 2012 Revision. Electricity access data
is adjusted to be consistent with demographic patterns of urban and rural population. Due to differences in
definitions and methodology from different sources, data quality may vary from country to country. Where
country data appeared contradictory, outdated or unreliable, the IEA Secretariat made estimates based on
cross-country comparisons and earlier surveys.

For further detail, please see our Energy Access methodology note at www.worldenergyoutlook.org.

OECD/IEA 2015

SOURCE: IEA, World Energy Outlook 2015

Electricity access in 2013 - Regional aggregates

Region

Population
without
electricity
millions

Developing countries

1,200

78%

92%

67%

635

43%

68%

26%

99%

100%

99%

634

32%

59%

17%

86%

96%

78%

100%

100%

100%

81%

96%

74%

Africa
North Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Developing Asia
China
India

Electrificatio
Urban
Rural
n rate
electrificatio electrificatio
n rate
n rate
%
%
%

526
1
237

Latin America

22

95%

98%

85%

Middle East

17

92%

98%

79%

Transition economies & OECD

100%

100%

100%

1,201

83%

95%

70%

WORLD

SOURCE: IEA, World Energy Outlook 2015

Electricity access in Africa - 2013

Population
without
electricity
millions

National
electrification
rate
%

Urban
electrification
rate
%

Rural
electrification
rate
%

Africa

635

43%

68%

26%

Sub-Saharan Africa

634

32%

59%

17%

15

30%

46%

18%

Benin

29%

57%

9%

Botswana

66%

75%

54%

Burkina Faso

14

17%

56%

1%

Burundi

10

5%

28%

2%

Cameroon

10

55%

88%

17%

Cabo Verde

94%

100%

84%

Central African Repub

3%

5%

1%

12

4%

14%

1%

69%

89%

62%

42%

62%

5%

15

26%

42%

8%

61

9%

19%

2%

50%

61%

14%

Equatorial Guinea

66%

93%

48%

Eritrea

32%

86%

17%

71

24%

85%

10%

Gabon

89%

97%

38%

Gambia

36%

60%

2%

Ghana

72%

92%

50%

Guinea

26%

53%

11%

Guinea-Bissau

21%

37%

6%

35

20%

60%

7%

Lesotho

17%

43%

8%

Liberia

10%

17%

3%

Madagascar

20

15%

37%

4%

Malawi

15

9%

32%

4%

Mali

11

26%

53%

9%

Mauritania

28%

47%

2%

Mauritius

100%

100%

100%

16

39%

66%

27%

32%

50%

17%

Niger

15

15%

62%

4%

Nigeria

96

45%

55%

37%

Runion

99%

100%

87%

Rwanda

21%

67%

5%

Sao Tome and Princip

59%

70%

40%

Region

Angola

Chad
Comoros
Congo
Cte d'Ivoire
Democratic Republic
of Congo
Djibouti

Ethiopia

Kenya

Mozambique
Namibia

SOURCE: IEA, World Energy Outlook 2015

Electricity access in Developing Asia - 2013

Region

Population
without
electricity
millions

National
electrification
rate
%

Urban
electrification
rate
%

Rural
electrification
rate
%

China
India
Southeast Asia
Brunei
Cambodia
Indonesia
Laos
Malaysia
Myanmar
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam
Rest of developing
Bangladesh
DPR Korea
Mongolia
Nepal
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Other Asia

1
237
120
0
10
49
1
0
36
21
0
1
3
168
60
18
0
7
50
1
31

100%
81%
81%
100%
34%
81%
87%
100%
32%
79%
100%
99%
97%
65%
62%
26%
90%
76%
73%
94%
28%

100%
96%
94%
100%
97%
94%
97%
100%
60%
94%
100%
100%
99%
86%
90%
36%
98%
97%
91%
99%
74%

100%
74%
69%
99%
18%
66%
82%
99%
18%
67%
100%
98%
96%
53%
48%
11%
73%
72%
62%
93%
12%

Developing Asia

526

86%

96%

78%

SOURCE: IEA, World Energy Outlook 2015

Electricity access in Latin America - 2013

Region

Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republi
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Trinidad and Tobag
Uruguay
Venezuela
Other Latin Americ
Latin America

Population
without
electricity
millions

National
Urban
Rural
electrification electrification electrification
rate
rate
rate
%
%
%

2
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
2
7
1
0
1
0
0
3
0
0
0
0

96%
88%
100%
98%
100%
98%
97%
97%
94%
90%
29%
89%
93%
76%
91%
99%
90%
97%
99%
100%
91%

99%
96%
100%
100%
100%
100%
99%
99%
98%
97%
44%
97%
98%
92%
98%
100%
96%
99%
100%
100%
94%

66%
74%
97%
90%
98%
93%
91%
94%
86%
81%
8%
80%
87%
54%
78%
98%
70%
96%
94%
99%
88%

22

95%

98%

85%

SOURCE: IEA, World Energy Outlook 2015

Electricity access in the Middle East - 2013

Region

Bahrain
Iran
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
United Arab Emira
Yemen
Middle East

Population
without
electricity
millions

National
electrification
rate
%

Urban
electrification
rate
%

Rural
electrification
rate
%

0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
13

100%
99%
98%
100%
100%
100%
98%
100%
99%
93%
100%
46%

100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
72%

100%
95%
95%
100%
100%
99%
93%
111%
98%
84%
100%
32%

17

92%

98%

79%