Rwanda’s electricity consumption was just 77 kWh per person in 2023—about 2% of the global average of 3,794 kWh per person, or roughly one-fiftieth as much. Low-carbon electricity generation reached 43 kWh per person, equivalent to a little more than half of consumption. The supplied figures do not identify the sources of the remaining electricity, so it cannot all be classified as fossil-fuel electricity. Such low electricity availability can constrain healthcare, education, industrial production and digital services. Expanding clean electricity would support economic development and electrification while limiting the climate change and air pollution associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in Rwanda?

Electricity consumption in Rwanda was essentially stagnant rather than growing in 2023. At 77 kWh per person, it remained slightly below the previous record of 78 kWh in 2022. Although the supplied summary reports a change of zero, the displayed rounded values indicate a decline of about 1 kWh per person. Low-carbon generation also remained below its peak: 43 kWh per person compared with 44 kWh in 2021. This lack of progress is concerning given Rwanda’s very low electricity consumption and the need for substantially more clean electricity.

Suggestions

Rwanda could accelerate solar deployment, strengthen its grid and expand electricity access while building expertise for future nuclear generation. South Africa offers a relevant African example, generating 20 TWh from solar, 12 TWh from wind and 12 TWh from nuclear. Pakistan, with 41 TWh of solar and 22 TWh of nuclear generation, also illustrates how both technologies can contribute to electricity supply. Rwanda could draw lessons from these places on project delivery, workforce training and financing, while assessing wind resources locally. France’s 376 TWh of nuclear generation demonstrates nuclear power’s potential to provide substantial clean electricity; international partnerships could help Rwanda explore an appropriately scaled nuclear programme alongside faster solar expansion.

History

Rwanda’s reported low-carbon electricity history is dominated by hydropower. In the late 1990s, generation fluctuated: it fell by 0.1 TWh in 1996, recovered by the same amount in 1997 and fell again in 1999. The listed years throughout the 2000s and early 2010s showed no change at the supplied precision. Growth resumed with increases of 0.1 TWh in both 2014 and 2015, followed by further gains of 0.1 TWh in 2019 and 2020. The intervening listed years and 2021 showed no change. These gains are welcome, but the repeated periods of stagnation underline the need for sustained expansion of clean electricity.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade