A household connected to the grid but unable to afford electricity is not truly “electrified.” This simple observation reveals a fundamental gap in how the international community measures progress on energy access.
Connections Don’t Equal Access
The headline numbers on electrification rates can be misleading. When a government reports that 95% of its population has access to electricity, what does that actually mean? In many cases, it means a power line reaches the community — but it doesn’t tell us whether households can afford to use it, whether supply is reliable, or whether the quality of electricity is sufficient for productive use.
The Affordability Gap
Energy affordability is perhaps the most overlooked dimension of energy access. When households spend more than 10% of their income on energy, they face impossible tradeoffs — between electricity and food, between lighting and healthcare. These are the tradeoffs that perpetuate poverty traps.
Toward Better Metrics
The Multi-Tier Framework (MTF) developed by the World Bank represents a significant improvement, measuring energy access across multiple dimensions including capacity, duration, reliability, quality, affordability, and legality. Adoption of this framework would give policymakers a far more accurate picture of energy poverty — and better tools to address it.