In 2024, fossil fuels supplied about 61% of electricity consumed in Myanmar (Burma), while low-carbon sources provided about 39%. Gas dominated the mix, supplying just over half of all electricity, with coal contributing roughly another 10%. Clean electricity came overwhelmingly from hydropower, which supplied almost 38% of the total, while biofuels contributed about 1%. Myanmar therefore remains dependent on fossil electricity, making increased clean generation important for reducing climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Myanmar (Burma)?

Electricity consumption per person is not currently growing: it fell to 464 kWh in 2024, compared with the record of 475 kWh in 2023—a decline of roughly 10 kWh, or 2%. Low-carbon electricity generation also remains well below its previous peak. At 182 kWh per person in 2024, it was 88 kWh, or about a third, below the 2018 record of 270 kWh. These setbacks are concerning: Myanmar needs sustained growth in electricity supply, especially clean electricity, to support development and meet future demand from electrification and digital services.

Suggestions

Myanmar can increase low-carbon electricity generation by expanding solar alongside its existing hydropower and developing a long-term nuclear electricity programme. Nearby examples offer useful lessons: solar supplies about 15% of electricity in Sri Lanka and 11% in India, demonstrating its contribution in South Asian settings. Myanmar could draw on these experiences to expand both grid-connected solar and local installations, supported by stronger electricity networks and storage. Wind should also be explored in suitable locations; it supplies about 13% of electricity in Kenya and nearly a third in Uruguay. For nuclear development, Pakistan, where nuclear supplies about 13% of electricity, offers a regional reference, while South Korea, at roughly 26%, illustrates the value of sustained investment in nuclear expertise and infrastructure.

History

Myanmar’s low-carbon electricity history has largely been shaped by hydropower. After a decline of 0.7 TWh in 1998, generation increased repeatedly during the 2000s, including gains of 0.9 TWh in 2000 and 1.2 TWh in 2009. Expansion continued through much of the 2010s, with particularly strong increases of 2.4 TWh in 2011, 2.8 TWh in 2017 and 1.5 TWh in 2018. This progress then suffered a sharp reversal: hydropower generation fell by 3.6 TWh in 2019 and another 1.7 TWh in 2020. Subsequent changes were smaller and mixed, with gains of 0.7 TWh in 2021 and 0.4 TWh in 2023 interrupted by a 0.4 TWh decline in 2022. That uneven recovery reinforces the importance of restoring clean electricity growth and diversifying supply through solar, wind and nuclear.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade