Rwanda’s electricity consumption in 2023 was just 77 kWh per person—about 2% of the global average of 3,853 kWh per person, or roughly one-fiftieth as much. Low-carbon electricity generation amounted to 43 kWh per person, equivalent to more than half of consumption. However, the supplied figures do not provide a complete breakdown of consumption between clean electricity, fossil-fuel electricity and imports, so the remainder cannot simply be classified as fossil generation. Such low electricity availability can constrain healthcare, education, industrial development and digital services, while limiting opportunities to replace polluting fuels with clean electricity.

Is Electricity Growing in Rwanda?

Electricity consumption in Rwanda is essentially stagnant rather than growing. The 2023 figure of 77 kWh per person was slightly below the previous record of 78 kWh in 2022; the supplied comparison reports this as a rounded change of zero. Low-carbon generation also remained below its peak, reaching 43 kWh per person compared with 44 kWh in 2021—a decline of about 1 kWh per person. This lack of progress is concerning given Rwanda’s very low starting point: sustained growth in clean electricity is needed to support broader access, productive businesses and future demand from electrification and digital technologies.

Suggestions

Rwanda should prioritize expanding solar electricity alongside grid investment, storage and stronger regional connections, while assessing wind resources and developing a long-term pathway for nuclear electricity. South Africa offers a useful African reference, generating about 19 TWh from solar, 11 TWh from wind and 11 TWh from nuclear. India’s roughly 223 TWh of solar generation also offers lessons in scaling deployment, while Pakistan’s approximately 19 TWh of solar and 25 TWh of nuclear demonstrate contributions from both technologies in a developing economy. These totals are not direct targets for Rwanda, but their experience can inform procurement, workforce training and infrastructure planning. Rwanda should consider nuclear development and regional partnerships as part of a sustained expansion of reliable, low-carbon electricity that reduces reliance on fossil fuels and their climate and air-pollution impacts.

History

The supplied history of Rwanda’s low-carbon electricity is entirely about hydropower. In the late 1990s, output fluctuated: it fell by about 0.1 TWh in 1996, recovered by the same amount in 1997, and fell again in 1999. The listed years during the 2000s and early 2010s show little change at the reported precision. Growth became more visible in the mid-to-late 2010s, with increases of about 0.1 TWh in both 2014 and 2015, followed by similarly sized gains in 2019 and 2020. The intervening listed years and 2021 recorded no change at the supplied precision. Those gains were welcome, but the repeated periods of stagnation underline the need for a more sustained expansion of clean electricity.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade