Global Grids Database
Total Grid Losses (Transmission and Distribution) (%)
Select multiple countries to view their grid indicators side by side.
The Global Grids Database provides a structured view of electricity grid infrastructure across 220 countries and territories. It compiles publicly available international and national data into a common set of indicators covering the policy, technical, operational, customer service, and sustainability aspects of electricity grids.
The database uses the joint Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) grid assessment methodology described in Assessing Grids in Africa. The database currently includes the indicators compiled for that assessment and will continue to expand as additional data, indicators, and quality assurance reviews are completed.
Indicators are grouped into five dimensions that together cover the essential aspects of electricity grid infrastructure: from enabling environment through to operational performance and sustainability.
The indicators describe the policy, regulatory, and institutional environment that supports electricity market development, grid investment, and renewable energy integration.
The indicators describe transmission infrastructure, grid planning, investment frameworks, mini-grid development, and regional interconnection.
The indicators describe the operational characteristics of electricity grids, including efficiency, flexibility, digital readiness, reliability, and technical capability.
The indicators describe electricity access, affordability, service reliability, and the quality of electricity service delivery.
The indicators describe environmental performance, climate commitments, and governance practices that support a sustainable and inclusive energy transition.
Indicators in the database take three forms, each suited to the nature of the underlying data.
Quantitative indicators present numerical values, such as installed capacity, electricity access, grid losses, carbon intensity, and regulatory scores.
Binary and multi-level indicators describe the presence or maturity of policies, regulations, institutional arrangements, and planning frameworks using predefined values such as Yes, Partial, and No.
Categorical indicators describe country characteristics that are expressed as categories rather than numerical values, such as electricity market structure and utility unbundling status.
The database draws on the following publicly available international datasets. Each indicator record carries a direct source attribution linking to the specific dataset page where the data was obtained.
| Source | Dataset | Indicators Covered |
|---|---|---|
| US EIA International Energy Statistics | International Energy Statistics | Generation capacity (total, fossil, VRE); fossil fuel generation share; renewable capacity and renewables share |
| Global Transmission Database (Zenodo) | Global Transmission Database | Cross-border interconnector capacity |
| WEF Energy Transition Index | Energy Transition Index (ETI) | Grid flexibility score; digital infrastructure readiness score; household electricity price (PPP-adjusted) |
| EDGAR/IEA CO2 Emissions Database | CO2 Emissions Database (EDGAR) | Carbon intensity of power sector (per unit generated electricity); carbon intensity per capita; carbon intensity per GDP |
| World Bank/ESMAP RISE | Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (RISE) | Policy and regulatory framework indicators: RE electricity targets, grid codes, dispatch rules, mini-grid frameworks, service reliability standards, and connection affordability |
| ESMAP Tracking SDG7 | Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report | National, urban, and rural electricity access rates; electrification growth rate; 2030 access deficit projection |
| OECD ODA Database (Creditor Reporting System) and US EIA International Energy Statistics | Creditor Reporting System (ODA funding) and International Energy Statistics (generation capacity) | Official Development Assistance for grid development per MW installed |
| Net Zero Tracker (Oxford/ECIU) | Net Zero Tracker | Official net zero goal or target |
| BloombergNEF Climatescope | Climatescope: Power Sector Results | Average residential consumer tariff |
| Africa Energy Portal | Africa Energy Portal country profiles | Independent or national regulatory body |
| IEA Fossil Fuel Subsidies Database and ESMAP Tracking SDG7 | Fossil Fuel Subsidies Database (subsidy value) and Tracking SDG7 (electrification rate) | End-user subsidy to reduce electricity tariff, per capita with electricity access |
| Desk research (National and International documents) | Desk research across national and international documents | Transmission capacity 5-year CAGR; project-level and strategic EIA requirements; public consultation requirements for transmission projects; SAIFI and SAIDI outage statistics (published national/international data); utility unbundling status |
| Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment and national documents | Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment or National documents | Strategic ESIA requirement for transmission projects |
| National documents | Country-specific regulatory documents, national energy plans, utility reports, and NDC submissions | Qualitative regulatory indicators (grid targets, tariff regulation, private participation); transmission and distribution losses; network availability; on-grid access plans; part of transmission line/capacity coverage; existing transmission line length and transmission capacity |
| US EIA International Energy Statistics and World Bank Population Data | International Energy Statistics (US EIA) and Population Data (World Bank) | Annual electricity consumption per capita |
| Global Transmission Database (Zenodo) and EU Global Technical Assistance Facility for Sustainable Energy (Stantec) | Global Transmission Database and the EU-funded African Continental Masterplan (CMP) transmission and generation priority projects report | Planned interconnector capacity by 2030 |
| National documents and US EIA International Energy Statistics | National transmission-length records combined with US EIA generation capacity data | Transmission-to-generation ratio |
| US EIA International Energy Statistics or Country Statistics | International Energy Statistics (US EIA), or country-reported statistics where US EIA does not cover a country | Fossil fuel share of installed capacity; renewables share of installed capacity |
| Derived from US EIA International Energy Statistics | International Energy Statistics (US EIA) electricity generation data | Total grid losses (share of total generation) |
| Projections based on ESMAP Tracking SDG7 and World Bank population data | Tracking SDG7 electrification and World Bank population data | 2030 electricity access deficit projection |
| Derived from EDGAR/IEA CO2 Emissions Database and Ember Yearly Electricity Data | EDGAR power-sector CO2 emissions and Ember Yearly Electricity Data total generation | Carbon intensity of power sector (gCO2/kWh) |
| Derived from EDGAR/IEA CO2 Emissions Database and World Bank Population Data | EDGAR power-sector CO2 emissions and World Bank total population | Carbon intensity per capita (kgCO2/person/yr) |
| Derived from EDGAR/IEA CO2 Emissions Database and World Bank GDP, PPP data | EDGAR power-sector CO2 emissions and World Bank GDP, PPP (constant 2021 international $) | Carbon intensity per GDP (gCO2/USD PPP) |
| Ember Yearly Electricity Data | Ember Yearly Electricity Data - installed generation capacity of clean and fossil fuel categories | Total Installed Generation Capacity (GW) |
The database relies primarily on macro-level, publicly available data. The following limitations apply:
Data gaps: Not all indicators are available for all countries. For many countries, data on mini-grid capacity, planned interconnector projects, RE curtailment, and detailed reliability metrics (SAIDI and SAIFI) were not publicly available at the time of compilation.
Discrepancies between sources: International databases and national statistics do not always align. Where discrepancies exist, the international source is used for consistency.
Update frequency: International datasets are updated at varying intervals, and the database is continuously expanded as new data become available. The indicator values may correspond to different reference years depending on source availability at the time of compilation. The data year is recorded for each indicator value.
Projections are calculated using the 5-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2017 and 2022, applied forward to estimate 2030 values.