From June 2025 to May 2026, Bangladesh relied on fossil fuels for about 81% of its electricity consumption. Gas supplied roughly 42% and coal about 31%, with other fossil sources making up the remainder. Net imports accounted for another 16%; their low-carbon or fossil composition is not specified. Only about 2.4% came from domestic low-carbon sources, including solar at 1.3% and hydropower at about 1%. This leaves considerable scope to expand clean electricity and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh’s latest electricity consumption figures do not show growth relative to its historical peak. In 2026, consumption stood at 600 kWh per person, about 49 kWh, or 8%, below the record of 649 kWh per person set in 2022. That shortfall is concerning as electrification and growing digital services will require more electricity. Low-carbon electricity generation, however, reached a new high of 14 kWh per person, up from the previous record of 13 kWh in 2025. This is encouraging progress, although the clean electricity contribution remains very small. These comparisons establish performance against previous records, rather than the latest year-on-year change in total consumption.

Suggestions

Bangladesh should prioritize a substantial expansion of solar and nuclear electricity, supported by grid investment. Nearby Pakistan offers a particularly relevant example: solar supplies about 24% of its electricity generation and nuclear another 13%. Sri Lanka’s solar share of about 15% also demonstrates regional potential. Bangladesh could accelerate rooftop solar on factories and commercial buildings alongside suitable larger projects. For nuclear development, it could draw on experience from South Korea, where nuclear supplies a quarter of electricity, and France, where it provides about two-thirds, particularly in building expertise and sustaining reliable clean generation. Wind could complement these sources where local measurements support development, with coastal assessments informed by places such as Denmark, which generates almost 60% of its electricity from wind.

History

Historically, Bangladesh’s recorded low-carbon electricity changes were dominated by small, uneven movements in hydropower. During the 1980s, several increases of 0.2 TWh were interspersed with declines of the same size. In the mid-1990s, a 0.2 TWh increase in 1994 was followed by a 0.5 TWh fall in 1995 and a 0.4 TWh recovery in 1996. The 2000s remained uneven, ending with a 0.6 TWh decline in 2009. Hydropower then recovered by 0.3 TWh in 2010, with further fluctuations through 2019. More recently, solar has provided a welcome new source of growth, adding 0.3 TWh in each of 2022, 2024 and 2025, while hydropower also increased by 0.2 TWh in 2024. Building on these gains with sustained solar and nuclear expansion would help Bangladesh achieve stronger growth in clean electricity.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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