Nigeria continues to hold the unenviable position as the country with the largest electricity access deficit in the world, according to the World Bank’s newly released 2025 Energy Progress Report. The report estimates that 86.8 million Nigerians—nearly 40% of the population—still live without access to electricity.
This marks the third consecutive year that Nigeria has ranked lowest globally in electricity access, reinforcing the urgent need for policy reform, investment in infrastructure, and improved energy governance.
The Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2025, which assesses global progress on Sustainable Development Goal 7—ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all—covers data from 2023. It places Nigeria ahead of the Democratic Republic of Congo (79.6 million) and Ethiopia (56.4 million) in terms of the absolute number of people living without power.
Sub-Saharan Africa: The Epicenter of the Energy Deficit
The report paints a sobering picture of Sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to 18 of the 20 countries with the weakest electricity access globally. Together, these 20 countries accounted for 76% of the global access deficit in 2023, up slightly from 75% in 2022.
The region's electricity gap remains vast, with 565 million people still without power in 2023. Although 35 million people gained access to electricity across Sub-Saharan Africa that year, a simultaneous population increase of 30 million meant the overall deficit only declined by 5 million. As a result, the region now represents a staggering 85% of the global population without electricity, compared to just 50% in 2010.
Countries like South Sudan (5% access rate), Chad, and Burundi (both at 12%) have some of the lowest national electricity access rates globally and show minimal annual progress.
Nigeria’s Energy Profile: Modest Gains, Major Gaps
The World Bank report reveals that in 2023, 61% of Nigerians had access to electricity, while only 26% had access to clean cooking energy. This lopsided energy profile highlights the dual challenge of electrification and clean energy transition for households still dependent on biomass or unsafe cooking fuels.
Despite government programs and private sector investments aimed at improving grid and off-grid power delivery, the scale of the challenge remains immense—particularly in rural communities, where infrastructure development has lagged.
Global Progress: Asia Accelerates, Africa Lags
Globally, the world has made significant strides since 2010, with 665 million people gaining access to electricity over the last 13 years. Countries in Central and Southern Asia led the way, reducing their access deficit from 414 million in 2010 to just 27 million in 2023, thanks to aggressive electrification programs and policy frameworks.
In contrast, Sub-Saharan Africa’s slow pace threatens the global goal of achieving universal access by 2030. While 21 countries worldwide have achieved near-universal access, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that 645 million people—most of them in Africa—will still lack electricity by 2030 under current policy trajectories.
Outlook: Nigeria Faces an Uphill Task
While Nigeria has made policy declarations and launched several rural electrification projects, the latest figures underscore the need for bolder interventions, including expanded investment in renewable energy, grid expansion, and policy implementation consistency.
The window to meet SDG7 targets by 2030 is rapidly closing. Without sustained political will, improved regulatory frameworks, and financing support—especially for off-grid and mini-grid solutions—millions of Nigerians could remain in the dark for the foreseeable future.
The challenge is daunting, but the opportunity is transformative: unlocking electricity access for nearly 87 million Nigerians could fuel economic growth, job creation, health outcomes, and climate resilience.