The Electricity Access Database
Definitions and approach
In a continuing effort to improve our understanding of the electrification process, we have updated, for the fourth time, the database  on electrification rates that we first built for the WEO 2002. 
The database shows detailed data on urban and rural electrification collected from industry, national surveys and international sources
Electricity access is more and more at the forefront of governments' preoccupations, especially in the poorest countries. 
As a consequence a lot of rural electrification programs and national electrification agencies have been created in these countries to monitor more accurately the needs and the status of rural development and electrification. 
We have incorporated the latest available information to give the most accurate picture to date of the electricity access in the world, by region and by country. 
Several major revisions have been made, notably for Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America. 
Overall electrification rates have increased due to better data and more recent census and rural surveys. Especially for India, Bangladesh and Pakistan much more census data than in previous years was available
If electricity access data for 2008 was not available, data for the latest available year was used. 
The number of people without electricity access as well as urban/rural breakdown was assessed in assistance with the World Population Prospects - The 2007 Revision, published by the United Nations (UN) . A
dditionally, UN data has been adjusted with data from the IEA Statistics Division in order to get the most accurate demographic estimate for 2008 - electricity access data was adjusted to be consistent with demographic patterns of urban/rural population. 
Due to differences in definitions and methodology from different sources, data quality may vary from country to country. 
Where country data appeared contradictory, outdated or unreliable, the IEA Secretariat made estimates based on cross-country comparisons and earlier surveys. 
 
Abbreviations
ADB - Asian Development Bank
AFDB - African Development Bank
ASER - Rural Electrification Agency, Senegal
CAPES - Centre for Political, Economic and Social Analysis, Burkina
CNSEE - Institute for National Statistics and Economic Analysis, Congo
COMELEC - Electricity Committee, Maghreb
CURES - Citizens United for Renewable Energy and Sustainability 
DHS - Demographic and Health Surveys 
DIGESTYC - Census and Statistics Institute, El Salvador
DJLPE - Indonesia Energy Department 
DOE - United States Department of Energy 
ECLAC - Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean 
ECOWAS - Economic Community of West African States 
EDF - Electricité de France
EDM - Mozambique Electricity Company
EEPCo - Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation 
ENE - National Electricity Company, Angola
ESCWA - UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
ESMAP - Energy Sector Management Assistance Program 
GECOL - General Electric Company of Libya
GNESD - Global Network on Energy for Sustainable Development
GTZ - Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit
HAPUA - Heads of ASEAN Power Utilities/Authorities 
IMF - International Monetary Fund
INEC - National Institute of Statistics and Census, Nicaragua
IRSE - Institute for Electricity Sector Regulation, Angola
JICA - Japan International Cooperation Agency
NERC - Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission
NRECA - National Rural Electric Cooperative Association  
NRVA - National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment 
NSSO - National Sample Survey Organisation, India
OLADE - Latin American Energy Organization
OME - Mediterranean Energy Observatory
ONE - National Electricity Office, Morocco
PIESA - Power Institute for East and Southern Africa 
ProBec - Program for Basic Energy and Conservation 
REEEP - Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership
SIE - Togo Energy Information System 
SNEL - National Electricity Association, Republic of Congo
SONABEL - National Electricity Association, Burkina Faso
UNDP - United Nations Development Program 
UNEP - United Nations Environment Program
UNESCAP - UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific