- Six African nations achieved 100% electricity access in the 2026 WorldStats.io global rankings
- North African economies dominated the top positions, with island states and a handful of Sub-Saharan countries following closely
- The rankings exposed a sharp divide between Africa's best-connected markets and nations where fewer than 1 in 4 people have electricity
Six African countries have achieved full electricity access, according to the WorldStats 2026 electricity-access rankings, which measure the proportion of each country's population connected to the grid.
Source: Getty Images
Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritius and Seychelles all recorded a 100.0% electricity access rate, placing them jointly at the top of the African table.
The group is led predominantly by North African economies, with the two island nations of Mauritius and Seychelles rounding out the tier.
Cape Verde follows in seventh place with 98.4% access, while Gabon sits eighth at 95.1%, meaning the top eight countries on the continent all exceed 95% coverage.
Ghana and Comoros are clustered closely together at ninth and tenth, recording 91.9% and 91.7% respectively. South Africa ranks eleventh at 90.2%, despite being the continent's most industrialised economy, while Eswatini sits just below at 89.3%.
The final three places in the top 15 go to Senegal (82.9%), Botswana (80.2%) and São Tomé and Príncipe (77.7%), all of which still have more than three-quarters of their populations connected to electricity.
Rank | Country | Electricity access |
1 | Egypt | 100.0% |
2. | Algeria | 100.0% |
3. | Morocco | 100.0% |
4. | Tunisia | 100.0% |
5. | Mauritius | 100.0% |
6. | Seychelles | 100.0% |
7. | Cape Verde | 98.4% |
8. | Gabon | 95.1% |
9. | Ghana | 91.9% |
10. | Comoros | 91.7% |
11. | South Africa | 90.2% |
12. | Eswatini | 89.3% |
13 | Senegal | 82.9% |
14 | Botswana | 80.2% |
15 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 77.7% |
Africa's electricity access gap
The WorldStats.io data is drawn from a global ranking, and the table above presents African countries extracted and ordered relative to one another.
The figures reveal a striking contrast across the continent: while the top 15 nations all surpass 77% access, several other African countries remain below 25%, pointing to a deep and persistent infrastructure gap concentrated in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.
For businesses and investors, the ranking identifies markets where electricity coverage is comparatively mature, reducing energy-access risk.
The lower end of Africa's electricity table, however, underscores that universal energy access remains a distant goal across much of the continent.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Authors:
Hot: