Assessing Subnational Electricity Access Using High-Resolution Datasets: A Case Study of Ethiopia

Access to electricity is essential for economic and social development, yet nearly half of the population in Ethiopia lacks basic electricity. However, national level reporting of electrification rates makes it difficult to identify areas with limited access. To address this, this study aims to estimate subnational and national level electricity access using nighttime light and gridded population data with Google Earth Engine and compare the results with the national electrification rate reported by the World Bank. The study findings reveal a considerable disparity ranging from 28.2% in 2016 to 0.6% in 2020 between the estimated national-level electricity access rate and the data reported by the World Bank for the period 2016–2020. The results further reveal that significant differences exist in electricity access among states, with Addis Ababa having almost 100% access to electricity in all years. In contrast, Afar and Somali states had the lowest access rates in 2016. Despite an overall increase in access across all states, there was a decreasing trend in mean nighttime light radiance from 2016 to 2020. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in identifying areas where interventions are needed to improve access to electricity and to plan electrification programs effectively.