ESMAP · RISE Electricity Access Policy Score
Electricity access policy by country
How strong are a country's laws and plans for bringing electricity to people who lack it?
Nigeria placed first of the 56 countries compared in 2023, at 90.47, and Yemen last, at 9.47. In the middle country the figure was 65.67. Among the 56 countries measured in every edition since 2010, the middle one moved from 15.50 to 65.67.
Share
Part ofEnergy
Electricity access policy · 2023
Context statistic
Highest of 56Nigeria
90.47012023 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 56 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Slashme · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: Peace Batuma · CC BY-SA 4.0, greyscale
3Photo: ZSM , cropped by Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2023
- 56
Yemen9.47 - 55
South Sudan26.61 - 54
Republic of the Congo26.81
Positions out of 56. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- AfricaNigeria90.47
- Americas
Haiti71.064 of 48 measured
- Asia
Sri Lanka82.39 - Oceania
Papua New Guinea52.363 of 21 measured
- Every region
02Every measured country
Electricity access policy on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 9.47–43.96
- 45.68–60.84
- 61.67–69.88
- 70.39–78.64
- 78.75–90.47
- No reading in 2023
- Asia
69.83
the middle country, of 14 measured · 52 members
Sri Lanka82.39Yemen9.47Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Africa
65.50
the middle country, of 35 measured · 55 members
Nigeria90.47South Sudan26.61Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Americas
4 of 48 measured — too few for a middle: Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua.
Haiti71.06
Honduras45.68Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Oceania
3 of 21 measured — too few for a middle: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Papua New Guinea52.36
Solomon Islands30.44Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
12 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- South-eastern Asia
73.52
the middle country, of 5 measured · 11 members
Philippines79.47
Laos42.63Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Western Africa
69.88
the middle country, of 13 measured · 16 members
Nigeria90.47
Mauritania40.52Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Eastern Africa
69.61
the middle country, of 14 measured · 19 members
Rwanda90.20South Sudan26.61Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Southern Asia
69.26
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Sri Lanka82.39
Afghanistan54.56Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Middle Africa
55.12
the middle country, of 6 measured · 9 members
Angola77.44Republic of the Congo26.81Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Caribbean
1 of 24 measured — too few for a middle: Haiti.
Haiti71.06Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Central America
3 of 8 measured — too few for a middle: Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua.
Guatemala65.25Honduras45.68Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Eastern Asia
1 of 8 measured — too few for a middle: Mongolia.
Mongolia43.54Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Melanesia
3 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Papua New Guinea52.36Solomon Islands30.44Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern Africa
1 of 6 measured — too few for a middle: Sudan.
Sudan68.71Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Southern Africa
1 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: South Africa.
South Africa64.59Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Western Asia
1 of 19 measured — too few for a middle: Yemen.
Yemen9.47Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
03The whole field at once
The spread
56 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 65.67; a quarter are above 76.76, and a quarter below 47.97. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 56 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. World Bank Group (ESMAP) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Only countries where access to electricity is not yet universal are scored, so this is not a ranking of the world: countries that are missing here have no access gap to legislate for. A high score means the policy framework exists, not that people are connected — for that, see access to electricity.
Showing 25 of 56 countries
Values for 2023. The change column compares 2023 with 2022 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
052010–2023 · 14 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 2010 to 2023, all scored on the same method by the 2024 edition of RISE, so the line can be read end to end. A step up usually marks a new electrification plan or a framework for off-grid power coming into force.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 56 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 56 | 65.67 | 47.97 – 76.76 | 65.67 |
| 2022 | 56 | 60.99 | 40.66 – 69.42 | 60.99 |
| 2021 | 56 | 54.68 | 37.62 – 62.02 | 54.68 |
| 2020 | 56 | 45.63 | 32.84 – 58.79 | 45.63 |
| 2019 | 56 | 41.17 | 28.96 – 54.90 | 41.17 |
| 2018 | 56 | 32.80 | 23.47 – 45.36 | 32.80 |
| 2017 | 56 | 29.98 | 19.46 – 38.36 | 29.98 |
| 2016 | 56 | 25.86 | 17.26 – 33.90 | 25.86 |
| 2015 | 56 | 23.38 | 14.13 – 31.21 | 23.38 |
| 2014 | 56 | 19.50 | 13.31 – 26.97 | 19.50 |
| 2013 | 56 | 17.41 | 13.24 – 23.16 | 17.41 |
| 2012 | 56 | 16.34 | 13.11 – 23.16 | 16.34 |
| 2011 | 56 | 15.84 | 12.83 – 20.81 | 15.84 |
| 2010 | 56 | 15.50 | 12.75 – 20.01 | 15.50 |
062022 → 2023
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Uganda30.59 → 84.55 · 51st → 5th+53.97
Pakistan40.60 → 69.26 · 43rd → 24th+28.67
Kenya65.13 → 89.23 · 24th → 4th+24.11- South Africa40.68 → 64.59 · 42nd → 31st+23.90
- Nigeria73.96 → 90.47 · 10th → 1st+16.51
Declined most
before → after
Senegal77.08 → 69.88 · 7th → 23rd−7.20
Eritrea33.46 → 27.75 · 50th → 53rd−5.71
Chad61.14 → 55.42 · 28th → 36th−5.71- Angola78.39 → 77.44 · 6th → 13th−0.95
- Philippines80.42 → 79.47 · 3rd → 10th−0.95
56 countries were measured in both 2022 and 2023.
07Across every edition
Electricity access policy in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
90.47
Electricity access policy score (0–100)
Lowest reading on record
0.00
Electricity access policy score (0–100)
Biggest improvement between editions
+64.02
9.60 → 73.62
Biggest decline between editions
−7.20
77.08 → 69.88
Most improved since first measured
+86.67
2.57 → 89.23
At the top most often
9 of 14
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The parts of the index
Inside the number
World Bank Group (ESMAP) publishes the parts the headline is built from. Each part’s highest and lowest country, and its middle value.
| Part | Highest | Lowest | Middle country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrification governance and planning56 countries | 3 countries share 100.0 |  Zimbabwe4.8 | 73.3 |
| Grid electrification framework56 countries | 10 countries share 100 | 2 countries share 0 | 58 |
| Mini-grids framework56 countries | Kenya100.0 | South Sudan4.8 | 58.7 |
| Off-grid systems framework56 countries | 8 countries share 100 | Eritrea0 | 56 |
| Consumer affordability of electricity56 countries | Mongolia99.9998 | Yemen0.0000 | 82.3333 |
09The measure
About electricity access policy
The RISE electricity access score rates the laws, plans and regulations a country has for bringing electricity to people who lack it — national electrification planning, rules for the grid, for mini-grids and for solar home systems, and measures to keep power affordable — on a scale of 0 to 100. It is published by the World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Program.
What the number is: Electricity access policy score (0–100).
10Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Energy, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where electricity access policy is higher, these tend to be higher too.
No statistic lines up this closely.
Moves against
Where electricity access policy is higher, these tend to be lower.
No statistic lines up this closely.
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 0 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
11Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The countries at either end
12Questions
Electricity access policy: questions and answers
Which country has the highest electricity access policy?
Nigeria, at 90.47, among the 56 countries compared in 2023.
Which country has the lowest electricity access policy?
Yemen, at 9.47, among the 56 countries compared in 2023.
How many countries does the RISE Electricity Access Policy Score cover?
56 in 2023.
What is the world average electricity access policy?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 56 compared in 2023, the figure was 65.67.
Is this World Bank Group (ESMAP)’s own ranking?
No. World Bank Group (ESMAP) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the RISE Electricity Access Policy Score published?
This site holds 14 reference years, 2010–2023, all recalculated in World Bank Group (ESMAP)’s 2024 report on one method — not 14 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From World Bank Group (ESMAP), under CC BY 4.0. From World Bank Data360 (RISE), the 2024 edition's annual series. The five parts of the score are stored beside it. RISE's overall score is not used: it averages a different number of pillars for different countries. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
13Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
RISE Electricity Access Policy Score — World Bank Group (ESMAP)
From World Bank Data360 (RISE), the 2024 edition's annual series. The five parts of the score are stored beside it. RISE's overall score is not used: it averages a different number of pillars for different countries.
Newest edition
Report year 2023Data year 2023
Cite the source as: World Bank. Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (RISE) 2024. Washington, DC: World Bank / ESMAP.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- World Bank Group (ESMAP) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Nigeria — Slashme, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rwanda — Peace Batuma, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tanzania — ZSM , cropped by Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Electricity access policy by country: RISE Electricity Access Policy Score, data from World Bank Group (ESMAP). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/rise-electricity-access