From September 2025 through August 2026, Bangladesh relied on fossil fuels for about 81% of its electricity consumption. Gas supplied roughly 39% and coal another 33%, making them the dominant sources. Net imports accounted for almost 17%, although the data do not identify their generation mix. Low-carbon sources supplied just over 2%, including solar at about 1.3%. This leaves Bangladesh’s electricity supply heavily dependent on fossil fuels, with substantial scope to expand clean generation and reduce climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh’s latest figures do not show a new high in electricity consumption per person. In 2026, consumption stood at 611 kWh per person, about 38 kWh, or 6%, below the record of 649 kWh set in 2022. That shortfall is concerning as electrification and growing digital services require more electricity, although per-person figures alone cannot establish whether total national consumption is falling. Low-carbon generation offers a modest bright spot: it reached a record 14 kWh per person, up from 13 kWh in 2025. This progress is welcome, but a much faster expansion is needed.

Suggestions

Bangladesh can increase low-carbon electricity generation by pursuing solar and nuclear together, supported by grid expansion and investment in skilled workers. Nearby Sri Lanka, where solar supplies 15% of electricity, offers a useful regional benchmark for expanding rooftop and larger solar installations. Pakistan, which generates 13% of its electricity from nuclear, provides a relevant regional example for developing nuclear generation, while South Korea’s 26% nuclear share illustrates its larger-scale potential. Bangladesh can also learn from France, where nuclear supplies about two-thirds of electricity. These examples point toward an ambitious clean-electricity strategy: accelerate solar deployment while building a substantial nuclear contribution to support rising electricity demand.

History

Historically, Bangladesh’s recorded low-carbon electricity changes were dominated by modest fluctuations in hydropower. During the 1980s, annual increases and decreases were generally around 0.2 TWh. The 1990s brought a 0.5 TWh decline in 1995 followed by a 0.4 TWh recovery in 1996. In the 2000s, smaller changes preceded a 0.6 TWh drop in 2009 and a 0.3 TWh rebound in 2010. Hydropower continued to fluctuate through the 2010s, with a 0.4 TWh increase in 2016 between declines of 0.3 TWh in 2014 and 2019. More recently, solar has provided an encouraging new source of growth: generation rose by 0.3 TWh in 2022 and by 0.4 TWh in both 2024 and 2025, alongside a 0.3 TWh hydropower increase in 2024.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.