Energy Access in 2026: Sub-Saharan Africa Crisis

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the world’s largest electricity access gap, with roughly 560 million people still lacking electricity in 2024 and the region accounting for about 85% to 86% of the global population without power. Recent reporting shows the global total without electricity stood at 655 million in 2024, while progress in Sub-Saharan Africa has slowed because electricity connections are not keeping pace with rapid population growth. The crisis is concentrated in fragile and low-income countries, and it affects both households and economies through frequent outages, load-shedding, and poor supply quality even for connected users. The rural deficit in Sub-Saharan Africa rose from 376 million in 2010 to 447 million in 2024, and the pace of electrification must triple to reach universal access by 2030. The region also includes 18 of the 20 countries with the largest electricity access deficits, with Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia among the biggest gaps.