Rural Ethiopia still left in the dark as reliable electricity lags

Ethiopia has expanded its national power grid in recent years, but a new Afrobarometer dispatch shows that most citizens still do not have reliable electricity, with rural communities bearing the heaviest burden.

The survey, released on July 14, 2026, found that only 43 percent of Ethiopians were connected to the national electricity grid in 2023, while just 26 percent had electricity that worked most or all of the time. Rural residents were far less likely than urban dwellers to have access to the grid or a dependable power supply, underscoring a wide urban-rural gap in service delivery.

According to the report, only 20 percent of rural Ethiopians were connected to the grid, compared with 88 percent of urban residents. When reliability is taken into account, just 9 percent of rural residents could count on electricity most or all of the time, versus 59 percent in urban areas. The findings suggest that access remains uneven even where the grid is present.

Afrobarometer said electricity ranks among the most important concerns facing the country. Twenty percent of respondents listed power supply among their top three national priorities, placing it fourth behind economic management, water supply and roads or infrastructure. Nearly two-thirds of citizens, 64 percent, said the government was performing badly on electricity provision.

The survey also found that dissatisfaction was highest in rural areas, among poorer citizens and among those with lower levels of education. Rural respondents were much more likely than urban residents to say the government was handling electricity badly, reflecting long-standing gaps in access and reliability outside major towns and cities.

The report said Ethiopia’s electricity challenge persists despite the country’s significant renewable energy potential and major investments in hydropower, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. While the country has made progress in expanding its grid, experts cited in the report said weak financing, maintenance problems and state control over generation have slowed broader access and service quality.

Afrobarometer’s findings suggest that improving generation capacity alone will not be enough. The report argues that electricity access must reach households more consistently, especially in rural areas where the shortage is most severe and where lack of power limits economic opportunities, business growth and household welfare.

The survey was conducted between May 25 and June 22, 2023, among 2,400 adult Ethiopians. Afrobarometer said the sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

The organization concluded that electricity remains a major service-delivery issue and a key test of government performance. It said Ethiopia’s electrification gains will only matter if they translate into reliable power for households across the country, particularly those in rural communities.