Access to electricity in Zambia
Zambia: Access to electricity was 27.2% in 2016. β² Rising
Access to electricity in Zambia, 1990β2016
Source: World Bank Global Electrification Database 2012. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2016, access to electricity in Zambia stood at 27.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.5% on the previous year and up 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in Zambia peaked at 31.1% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 13.9%, in 1990.
Zambia ranks 200th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.7% | 13.9% | 19.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.0% | 16.7% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.1% | 22.0% | 31.1% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 197 Somalia 29.9% compare
- 198 Lesotho, Kingdom of 29.7% compare
- 199 Rwanda 29.4% compare
- 201 Uganda 26.7% compare
- 202 Mozambique, Republic of 24.2% compare
- 203 Papua New Guinea 22.9% compare
More reference data data for Zambia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.0386 (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies -0.018 (2026)
- Country level monthly temperature anomalies 0.3261 (2026)
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 19.51 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 19.51 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 19.51 (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.5273 (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.2981 (2025)
- Consumer price index 483.32 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in Zambia?
- Access to electricity in Zambia was 27.2% in 2016, according to World Bank Global Electrification Database 2012.
- What is the highest access to electricity recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 31.1% in 2015.
- What is the lowest access to electricity recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.9% in 1990.
- How does Zambia rank for access to electricity?
- Zambia ranks 200th out of 215 countries with data for 2016.
- Is access to electricity rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Global Electrification Database 2012, published as part of Access to electricity (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Access to electricity is the percentage of population with access to electricity.