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Energy Poverty, Equitable Electrification, and Sustainable Human Development in Bangladesh

Students & Supervisors

Student Authors
Sadman Islam Jim
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science & Engineering, FST
Nafis Mahmood
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science & Engineering, FST
Ishrat Jahan Irin
Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering, FE
Srabon Saha
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science & Engineering, FST
Shahriar Sadib
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science & Engineering, FST
Supervisors
Md. Mortuza Ahmmed
Associate Professor, Faculty, FST

Abstract

Access to electricity in Bangladesh increased from 18.34% to 99.50% over the period 1995-2024. Although this success is regarded as a milestone, the question remains whether the increased access to power has helped achieve sustainable human development. To investigate this topic, this paper analyses the association between electricity expansion and such development aspects as poverty reduction, economic growth, digital divide, use of renewable energy sources, and governance institutions. Secondary data were collected from WDI and WGI databases of the World Bank and include 13 development-related variables for the period 1995-2024as well as two additional calculated variables characterizing the electricity access gap and the share of non-renewable sources of energy in the country's power supply. The analysis was carried out using Microsoft Excel through Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and Trend analysis. It was found that increased electricity access was positively correlated with other development factors, in particular, growth in GDP per capita (r = +0.95) and internet usage, and negatively correlated with the poverty rate (r = -0.99). These results can be interpreted as evidence of the significant contribution made by electricity to Bangladesh's socioeconomic development. Nevertheless, this research has pointed out many issues that need addressing. First, the percentage for renewable energy has dropped from 3.44% to 1.51%, implying more use of fossil fuels. Secondly, the governance measures were negative throughout the period under review. From the findings, it can be concluded that to sustainably develop, there is a need to strengthen governance measures and switch to renewable energy.

Keywords

Electricity Access Sustainable Development Renewable Energy Transition Poverty Reduction Institutional Governance Pearson Correlation

Publication Details

  • Type of Publication:
  • Conference Name: National Interdisciplinary Conference on Sustainable Development Goals-2026 (NICSDG-2026)
  • Date of Conference: 17/07/2026 - 17/07/2026
  • Venue: "Metropolitan University, Bangladesh, Bateshwar, Sylhet-3104, Bangladesh"
  • Organizer: METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH SOCIETY
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