In 2023, electricity consumption in Benin was about 130 kWh per person—just over 3% of the global average of 3,794 kWh per person, or roughly thirty times lower. Domestic low-carbon electricity generation was only about 2 kWh per person. The supplied data do not give a breakdown of fossil-fuel electricity or imports, so they cannot establish the clean and fossil shares of electricity consumption. Such low electricity availability can constrain healthcare, education, refrigeration and business development, while limiting Benin’s ability to meet future demand from electrification and digital services.

Is Electricity Growing in Benin?

Benin’s electricity consumption has not surpassed its previous peak: the 2023 figure of 130 kWh per person was below the 2021 record of 136 kWh per person, a decline of roughly 4%. This is a concerning setback where much more electricity is needed. Low-carbon generation, however, reached a new high of about 2 kWh per person, compared with roughly 1 kWh per person in 2021. That improvement is encouraging, but the absolute increase remains very small and needs substantial acceleration.

Suggestions

Benin should prioritize expanding solar electricity through utility-scale projects, rooftop systems and mini-grids, alongside stronger transmission and distribution networks. Relevant examples include South Africa, which generated about 20 TWh of solar electricity, and India and Pakistan, with about 192 TWh and 41 TWh respectively. Benin can study their approaches to deploying solar at scale while adapting them to local needs. Wind should also be assessed wherever local measurements show suitable conditions, drawing lessons from South Africa’s approximately 12 TWh of wind generation. Nuclear electricity deserves consideration as part of a longer-term national or regional clean-electricity strategy: South Africa generated about 12 TWh from nuclear, and Pakistan about 22 TWh. Their experience can inform workforce development, institutions and regional cooperation to support dependable low-carbon electricity growth.

History

The historical figures show little measurable movement in Benin’s low-carbon electricity generation at the precision provided. From 1997 through 2005, every listed annual change in hydropower was zero TWh; the same was true of the listed biofuel changes from 2006 through 2009. Hydropower again recorded zero changes in 2015–2017, while the solar entries for 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023 also showed zero TWh changes. These rounded values do not necessarily mean that no smaller increases occurred, particularly given the recent rise in low-carbon generation per person. Nevertheless, the record highlights the need for a much stronger expansion of clean electricity, especially solar and, over the longer term, nuclear.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade