In 2023, Eritrea’s electricity consumption was about **127 kWh per person**, compared with a global average of **3,794 kWh per person**—only about one-thirtieth as much. Low-carbon electricity generation amounted to around **14 kWh per person**, equivalent to roughly 11% of consumption. These figures suggest a heavily fossil-dependent electricity supply, although a complete breakdown by source is not provided. Such low electricity availability can constrain healthcare, education, irrigation, businesses and industrial development, while leaving little capacity for growing demand from electrification and digital services. Expanding clean electricity would support development while reducing fossil-fuel-related air pollution and climate impacts.

Is Electricity Growing in Eritrea?

Eritrea’s latest figures do **not show growth relative to its historical peaks**. Electricity consumption of 127 kWh per person in 2023 was roughly 29 kWh below the 2018 record of 155 kWh per person—around one-fifth lower. Low-carbon generation also remained slightly below its peak: 14 kWh per person in 2023, compared with 15 kWh in 2019. This shortfall is concerning because Eritrea needs substantially more electricity, especially clean electricity, to improve access and meet future demand. However, comparisons with record years alone do not establish whether consumption increased or decreased from 2022 to 2023.

Suggestions

Eritrea should expand its existing solar generation through larger installations, rooftop systems and local grids, supported by storage and stronger electricity networks. Solar is an established part of its clean electricity supply, although the supplied figures do not demonstrate a large absolute output. Relevant examples include South Africa, with about **20 TWh of solar electricity**, and the United Arab Emirates, with **14 TWh**, offering useful reference points for solar development in sunny environments. Eritrea could also assess suitable wind locations, drawing lessons from South Africa’s **12 TWh of wind generation**. Alongside solar and wind, it should consider nuclear electricity within its long-term development planning: the United Arab Emirates generates about **32 TWh from nuclear**, while Pakistan generates **22 TWh**. These regions illustrate how solar and nuclear can both contribute to expanded low-carbon electricity supplies; their output figures are examples rather than direct targets for Eritrea.

History

The supplied historical series shows **no recorded changes at the displayed precision** in Eritrea’s solar electricity generation from the late 1990s through 2007. In 2008–2010, both solar and wind also recorded changes of 0 TWh, and the available solar entries for 2017–2019 again show 0 TWh changes. These entries indicate little visible expansion in the reported series, but they do not mean that generation itself was zero: small annual changes may disappear when expressed in rounded TWh. Years omitted from the dataset cannot be assessed. Overall, the record provides little evidence of substantial clean electricity growth, reinforcing the importance of accelerating solar deployment and developing additional low-carbon generation.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade