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In Bangladesh, Access to Electricity Grows by Five Times Over Three Decades

  • Access to electricity is important for a country’s development
  • Bangladesh has made significant progress in improving access to electricity

Statistics on access to electricity in Bangladesh:

  • In 1994, only 17.80% of the population had access to electricity
  • There was a significant divide between urban and rural areas, with 75.20% of city dwellers having access compared to only 2.24% of rural residents
  • Uneven distribution of power generation and transmission facilities was the main reason for this disparity

Improvements in access to electricity:

  • As of 2020, 96.20% of Bangladeshis have access to electricity
  • This growth can be attributed to the government’s efforts to improve access, such as building new power plants and expanding the national power grid

Narrowing of the urban-rural divide:

  • In 2020, 97.80% of urban residents had access to electricity compared to 95.21% of rural residents
  • This is a significant improvement from 1994 when the gap was much wider
  • Government initiatives promoting renewable energy sources such as solar power have helped bring electricity to remote areas

Positive growth in access to electricity:

  • Between 2010 and 2020, the annual percentage change in the population with access to electricity varied between 0.40% and 4.00%
  • This indicates a stable and sustainable increase in electricity access

Impact of increased access to electricity:

  • Improved access has facilitated improvements in healthcare, education, and communication
  • It has also helped boost the economy by encouraging entrepreneurship and the development of small and medium-sized businesses

Remaining work to be done:

  • The government needs to continue investing in renewable energy sources and expanding the national power grid
  • This will help ensure electricity reaches even the most remote areas of the country and bridge the gap between urban and rural areas