Access to electricity in Zambia
Zambia: Access to electricity was 62.0% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Access to electricity in Zambia, 1990–2016
Source: World Bank Global Electrification Database 2014. Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 62.0% for access to electricity in 2016.
That represents a change of down 8.4% on the previous year and up 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in Zambia peaked at 67.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 34.7%, in 1990.
That places Zambia 204th out of 217 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Access to electricity in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 34.7% | — |
| 1991 | 36.5% | +5.1% |
| 1992 | 39.2% | +7.5% |
| 1993 | 38.5% | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 39.5% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 40.6% | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 44.1% | +8.7% |
| 1997 | 42.6% | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 48.0% | +12.7% |
| 1999 | 44.6% | -7.1% |
| 2000 | 44.1% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 46.6% | +5.6% |
| 2002 | 45.1% | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 48.0% | +6.4% |
| 2004 | 47.6% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 50.5% | +6.1% |
| 2006 | 51.5% | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 47.8% | -7.2% |
| 2008 | 53.5% | +12.0% |
| 2009 | 54.6% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 49.8% | -8.7% |
| 2011 | 56.7% | +13.8% |
| 2012 | 57.7% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 58.8% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 61.5% | +4.6% |
| 2015 | 67.7% | +10.1% |
| 2016 | 62.0% | -8.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 40.8% | 34.7% | 48.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.9% | 44.1% | 54.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.2% | 49.8% | 67.7% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 201 Haiti 65.4% compare
- 202 Tanzania, United Republic of 65.3% compare
- 203 Mozambique 64.2% compare
- 205 Burkina Faso 60.7% compare
- 206 Uganda 57.5% compare
- 207 Somalia 57.2% 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 62.0% in 2016, according to World Bank Global Electrification Database 2014.
- What is the highest access to electricity recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 67.7% in 2015.
- What is the lowest access to electricity recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.7% in 1990.
- How does Zambia rank for access to electricity?
- Zambia ranks 204th out of 217 countries with data for 2016.
- Is access to electricity rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.4%. 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 2014, published as part of Access to electricity (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Access to electricity is the percentage of total population with access to electricity.