Electricity is often more unequal
than income in African cities

Gini coefficients across six sub-Saharan African cities show that total energy use is distributed far more equally than income. But electricity — the fuel most critical to economic growth — breaks that pattern entirely.

Gini coeff. of Electricity
Gini coeff. of Other fuels
Gini coeff. of Income
Gini coeff. of Total energy use
Source: Yongoua Nana, J. (2025). "Bridging the Urban Energy Divide." PhD thesis, University of Cape Town. Data from UHEM model using DHS, WID, and municipal datasets. Gini coefficients calculated on useful energy. Diesel (used in backup generators) is excluded from this chart as an outlier — its highly concentrated ownership among wealthy households produces extreme Gini values that would distort comparisons across fuels.
Note: Cities ordered by electricity access rate (descending). Base years vary by city (2016–2018).