Malawi — Electricity access
Access to Electricity (% of Population) for Malawi, 1992–2024.
Electricity access for Malawi was 15.60% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 33 years, from 1992 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 18.00% in 2018. The lowest was 1.55% in 1993 (about 10.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 5.07% per year.
Malawi ranks 213 of 215 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 99%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 59.00%, so Malawi sits below it. It peaked in 2018 and has fallen 13% since. Over the last decade (2014–2024) the figure moved up 31%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 46 of 48 economies; Chad (13.40%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 100% in 2007. That is 17% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1992 level: doubled by 2004. Doubling roughly every 14 years at that pace.
World ranking. Slipped: 121st of 122 in 1992 → 205th of 211 in 2000 → 210th of 215 in 2010 → 212th of 215 in 2020 → 213th of 215 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1992 to 2024
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 15.6% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 15.6% | +1.6 pp |
| 2022 | 14% | -0.2 pp |
| 2021 | 14.2% | +2.7 pp |
| 2020 | 11.5% | +0.3 pp |
| 2019 | 11.2% | -6.8 pp |
| 2018 | 18% | +5.3 pp |
| 2017 | 12.7% | +1.7 pp |
| 2016 | 11% | +0.2 pp |
| 2015 | 10.8% | -1.1 pp |
| 2014 | 11.9% | +2.9 pp |
| 2013 | 9% | +1.6 pp |
| 2012 | 7.4% | -0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 7.6% | -1.1 pp |
| 2010 | 8.7% | +0.4 pp |
| 2009 | 8.3% | +0.5 pp |
| 2008 | 7.8% | +0.4 pp |
| 2007 | 7.4% | +3.7 pp |
| 2006 | 3.7% | -2.9 pp |
| 2005 | 6.6% | -0.3 pp |
| 2004 | 6.9% | +0.7 pp |
| 2003 | 6.2% | +0.6 pp |
| 2002 | 5.6% | +0.4 pp |
| 2001 | 5.2% | +0.4 pp |
| 2000 | 4.8% | +0.5 pp |
| 1999 | 4.27% | +0.4 pp |
| 1998 | 3.83% | +0.4 pp |
| 1997 | 3.38% | +0.5 pp |
| 1996 | 2.93% | +0.5 pp |
| 1995 | 2.47% | +0.5 pp |
| 1994 | 2.01% | +0.5 pp |
| 1993 | 1.55% | -1.6 pp |
| 1992 | 3.2% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Malawi’s Electricity access in 1993?
1.55% (1993). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of population, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Malawi’s Electricity access growing or shrinking?
Between 1992 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +387.5% in total — about 5.1% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2024: 15.6%; 2023: 15.6%; 2022: 14%; 2021: 14.2%; 2020: 11.5%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS — Access to Electricity (% of Population). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.