In 2023, Burundi’s electricity consumption was just 36 kWh per person—less than 1% of the global average of 3,794 kWh per person, or roughly one hundredth as much. Low-carbon electricity generation stood at 20 kWh per person. This clean generation was equivalent to more than half of consumption, but the figures provided do not identify how much consumption came from fossil electricity or imports, so a complete supply breakdown is not possible. Such low electricity availability can constrain healthcare, education, industrial production and digital services, while limiting opportunities to replace polluting fuels with clean electricity.

Is Electricity Growing in Burundi?

Burundi’s latest figures do not show growth beyond its previous records. Electricity consumption in 2023 was 4 kWh per person below the 2019 peak of 40 kWh per person—a decline of about 10%. Low-carbon generation was also below its record: 20 kWh per person compared with 22 in 2020, roughly 9% lower. These comparisons do not establish the year-to-year trend, but they show that earlier highs have not been sustained. This is concerning given Burundi’s very low electricity consumption and the need for more clean electricity to support development, electrification and growing digital demand.

Suggestions

Burundi should prioritize expanding solar electricity alongside grid connections, storage and local mini-grids. South Africa offers a relevant African example, generating 20 TWh from solar and 12 TWh from wind; its experience can inform project development and assessments of suitable wind locations. Pakistan’s 41 TWh of solar generation and India’s 192 TWh also illustrate how substantial solar deployment can be achieved in developing economies. Burundi should additionally consider a long-term nuclear pathway, including regional cooperation and investment in technical expertise and regulatory institutions. South Africa’s 12 TWh and Pakistan’s 22 TWh of nuclear electricity provide useful examples of reliable low-carbon generation. These regions offer lessons rather than output targets to copy directly.

History

The supplied history shows little recorded change in Burundi’s low-carbon electricity generation. Hydropower registered changes of 0 TWh in the listed years of the early 1990s, throughout several periods in the 2000s, and again in 2010–2012 and 2017–2021. The listed biofuels change in 2011 and solar change in 2016 were also 0 TWh. These entries indicate no increase or decrease at the precision reported, not an absence of generation, and they do not describe unlisted years. Overall, the record offers little evidence of sustained expansion—a disappointing pattern that strengthens the case for accelerating clean electricity development, particularly solar and a carefully planned nuclear pathway.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade