Nigeria, DRC lead global ranking of countries with most people without electricity access
New data from the World Bank report titled Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2025, shows that a majority of the countries with the highest electricity deficits are in sub-Saharan Africa, further emphasizing the continent's persistent infrastructure gaps and the urgent need for investment in energy access and grid expansion.
Despite efforts to improve electrification, millions remain in the dark, hindering economic growth, education, and health outcomes.
Electricity deficit in Africa
According to the report, nearly 92% of the world's population now has basic access to electricity, a notable improvement since 2022, when the number of people without power declined for the first time in a decade.
However, more than 666 million people still lack access, underscoring that current progress is insufficient to meet the goal of universal electrification by 2030.
This challenge is especially pronounced in Africa, where millions of people continue to live without electricity, highlighting persistent regional disparities in energy access.
While electrification efforts have gained momentum across the continent, access remains uneven and deeply constrained in many regions, with some countries even experiencing reversals due to population growth and infrastructure challenges.
'The electricity access challenge is greatest in rural areas, where 84 percent of the world's people without electricity live."
"While overall progress in rural electrification was greater than that in urban areas, the gain was largely driven by advancements in Central and Southern Asia, where the number of rural people without access was cut from 383 million in 2010 to just under 25 million in 2023."
"By contrast, in SubSaharan Africa, rural population growth outstripped electrification efforts, leaving 451 million people in rural areas without electricity in 2023. ' the report added
According to the World bank's Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2025, the list below shows the African countries with the most people without electricity.
Rank Country People Without Electricity Access
1 Nigeria 86,860,905
2 DRC 79,633,583
3 Ethiopia 56,400,131
4 Tanzania, United Rep. of 34,862,880
5 Uganda 23,546,203
6 Niger 21,735,388
7 Mozambique 21,691,568
8 Madagascar 18,391,299
9 Burkina Faso 18,202,023
10 Angola 17,945,445
11 Malawi 17,669,934
12 Sudan 16,364,686
13 Chad 16,081,007
14 Kenya 13,138,184
15 Myanmar 12,687,720
16 Burundi 11,704,300
17 Pakistan 10,701,612
18 Mali 10,606,683
19 South Sudan 10,490,001
20 Zambia 10,060,384
Rest of world 157,648,778
The 20 countries with the largest electricity access deficits accounted for 76 percent of the global total—an increase from 75 percent the previous year. Once again, 18 of these countries were in Sub-Saharan Africa.
For the third consecutive edition of the report, Nigeria (86.8 million), the Democratic Republic of Congo (79.6 million), and Ethiopia (56.4 million) topped the list, collectively representing nearly one-third of the global electricity access deficit.
The lowest national access rates were recorded in South Sudan (5 percent), followed by Chad and Burundi (both at 12 percent), all of which have seen minimal annual progress since 2010.
According to the World Bank, closing the electricity access gap in Sub-Saharan Africa remains particularly challenging.
While 35 million people in the region gained access to electricity in 2023, population growth offset much of the progress, resulting in a net reduction of just 5 million—from 570 million people without access in 2022 to 565 million in 2023.
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