Nigeria has the world’s largest number of people without electricity access, according to a new World Bank report that paints a stark picture of the country’s energy crisis.
The report, titled “Tracking Sustainable Development Goal 7: The Energy Progress Report 2025”, reveals that 86.8 million Nigerians lacked access to electricity in 2023, the highest figure globally for the third consecutive year.
The report, released on Wednesday, June 25, covers data from 2023 and shows that only 61 percent of Nigerians had electricity access, while just 26 percent had access to clean cooking energy.
“In 2023, the 20 countries with the largest electricity access deficits accounted for 76 percent of the global total, up from 75 percent in 2022. Once again, 18 of these countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa,” the report noted.
It added, “For the third consecutive edition of this report, Nigeria (86.8 million), the Democratic Republic of Congo (79.6 million), and Ethiopia (56.4 million) topped the list, together accounting for roughly a third of the entire global access deficit.”
Sub-Saharan Africa remains the epicentre of global electricity poverty. While 35 million people gained access to electricity in the region in 2023, rapid population growth of about 30 million meant that the overall electricity gap narrowed by just 5 million.
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The total number of people without electricity in the region stood at 565 million, representing 85 percent of the global electricity-poor population, up from 50 percent in 2010.
The report also noted that the lowest electricity access rates globally were recorded in South Sudan (5 percent), followed by Chad and Burundi (12 percent each).
By contrast, other regions such as Central and Southern Asia have made significant progress. The electricity access deficit in those regions has dropped from 414 million people in 2010 to 27 million in 2023, showing a much faster pace of improvement.
Looking ahead, the World Bank expressed concern that despite global progress, an estimated 645 million people will still lack access to electricity by 2030, based on current policy trajectories.
“Since 2010, the world has reduced the number of people without access to electricity by 665 million, and 21 countries have reached at least near-universal access,” the report said. “However, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that 645 million will still lack access in 2030.”
The report signals an urgent need for Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African countries to scale up efforts if Sustainable Development Goal 7, universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy by 2030, is to be met.