In 2023, Afghanistan’s electricity consumption was just 173 kWh per person—less than 5% of the global average of 3,794 kWh per person, or roughly one twenty-second as much. Net electricity imports amounted to about 6.2 TWh, highlighting the importance of external supplies. Domestic low-carbon electricity generation was only 20 kWh per person. The supplied data do not identify the sources of imported electricity or quantify domestic fossil-fuel generation, so a complete clean-versus-fossil breakdown of consumption is not possible. Such low electricity availability can constrain healthcare, education, irrigation, industry and digital services, while limiting opportunities to replace polluting fuels with clean electricity.

Is Electricity Growing in Afghanistan?

Electricity consumption is growing, but only slightly: the 2023 figure of 173 kWh per person exceeded the previous record of 169 kWh in 2021 by just 4 kWh, an increase of about 2%. This modest new record is encouraging, but the domestic clean-electricity picture is concerning. Low-carbon generation reached only 20 kWh per person, compared with its historical peak of 66 kWh in 1990—a decline of 46 kWh, or roughly 70%. Afghanistan therefore needs much stronger growth in clean electricity generation to improve living standards and support future demand from electrification and digital development.

Suggestions

Afghanistan could prioritize solar electricity through both large projects and distributed systems serving homes, businesses and public facilities, alongside stronger grids and storage. Neighboring Pakistan offers a relevant reference, generating 41 TWh from solar and 22 TWh from nuclear in the supplied comparison; India likewise demonstrates substantial solar, wind and nuclear generation, at about 192, 124 and 53 TWh respectively. These examples support developing solar at scale, assessing promising wind locations and considering nuclear electricity as a longer-term source of dependable low-carbon supply. Partnerships for technical training, financing and institutional development could help turn these lessons into practical projects. The United Arab Emirates, with 32 TWh of nuclear electricity and 14 TWh of solar electricity, also illustrates how both technologies can contribute to a clean electricity system.

History

Afghanistan’s reported low-carbon electricity history consists of repeated fluctuations in hydropower rather than sustained expansion. The listed declines during the 1990s totaled 0.5 TWh. In the 2000s, gains in 2001–2003 and further increases in 2007 and 2009 outweighed setbacks in 2004 and 2008, producing a net gain of 0.4 TWh across the listed changes. The 2010s also recorded a net gain of 0.4 TWh, helped especially by a 0.3 TWh increase in 2019. However, consecutive declines in 2020–2022 erased 0.4 TWh. This disappointing reversal underscores the need to strengthen hydropower output while adding solar, wind and, over the longer term, nuclear generation to deliver sustained clean-electricity growth.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade