Rwanda’s electricity consumption was just 77 kWh per person in 2023, compared with a global average of 3,794 kWh—roughly one-fiftieth as much. Low-carbon electricity generation reached 43 kWh per person, equivalent to a little more than half of consumption. However, the supplied figures do not specify fossil electricity generation or imports, so they do not establish a complete consumption mix. Such limited electricity availability can constrain healthcare, education, industrial production and digital services. Expanding clean electricity supply would help Rwanda improve living standards and support growing demand without increasing fossil-fuel air pollution and climate impacts.

Is Electricity Growing in Rwanda?

Rwanda’s latest figures show stagnation rather than clear growth in electricity consumption per person. Consumption of 77 kWh per person in 2023 was essentially unchanged from the 2022 record of 78 kWh, although the displayed figures imply a small decline of 1 kWh rather than exactly zero. Low-carbon generation was also slightly below its previous peak: 43 kWh per person, compared with 44 kWh in 2021. These small setbacks are concerning given Rwanda’s need for much greater electricity availability. Population-wide totals are not provided, so these per-person figures alone cannot establish whether total electricity consumption or generation increased.

Suggestions

Rwanda can accelerate clean electricity growth by expanding solar installations, strengthening its grid and developing nuclear expertise and planning alongside its existing hydropower base. South Africa offers a relevant African example, generating about 20 TWh from solar and 12 TWh from nuclear in the supplied comparison. Pakistan also illustrates how solar and nuclear can both contribute, with roughly 41 TWh and 22 TWh respectively, while India’s solar generation of about 205 TWh provides another useful example of deployment at scale. Rwanda could study these places’ procurement, workforce training and infrastructure development, adapting their approaches to its own electricity system. Solar can serve both grid-connected users and local communities, while nuclear deserves consideration as a source of dependable low-carbon electricity for long-term growth.

History

The supplied historical record shows that Rwanda’s low-carbon electricity development was dominated by hydropower, with early fluctuations followed by long periods of little reported change. In the late 1990s, hydro generation fell by about 0.1 TWh in 1996, recovered by the same amount in 1997 and declined again in 1999. The listed years during the 2000s and early 2010s show no change at the reported precision, suggesting disappointing stagnation rather than sustained expansion. Growth became more evident in the mid-to-late 2010s: hydro generation increased by about 0.1 TWh in each of 2014, 2015 and 2019, followed by another similar increase in 2020. The unchanged figure in 2021 highlights the importance of building on those gains with a broader, steadily expanding clean electricity supply.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade