Renewables' share of Bangladesh's energy has fallen from 72% to 25%

DEEPLAB Research Team

Renewables' share of Bangladesh's energy has fallen from 72% to 25%

DEEPLAB Research Team • Published October 9, 2026

Renewables' share of Bangladesh's energy has fallen by two-thirds

Renewable energy, % of total final energy consumption (mostly traditional biomass such as wood and dung)

Source: IEA, IRENA, UN Statistics Division, World Bank and WHO (SDG 7 tracking), via World Bank WDI (EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS)

It sounds like bad news, but it is mostly a story about development. In 1990, 72% of the energy Bangladesh used came from renewable sources — overwhelmingly firewood, crop waste and dung burned for cooking. As households switched to gas and electricity, that share fell to 25% by 2021.

Under 2%
Share of Bangladesh’s electricity generated from renewables in 2021.

The real challenge is modern renewables. Despite one of the world’s largest solar home system programmes, renewables generated only about 1.5% of Bangladesh’s electricity in 2021; the grid runs mainly on gas, oil and coal. Scaling up rooftop and utility solar is central to the country’s plans to cut import bills and emissions.

Sources: SDG 7 tracking data (IEA, IRENA, UNSD, World Bank, WHO), via World Bank WDI (EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS, EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS).

Renewables' share of Bangladesh's energy has fallen from 72% to 25%

Renewables' share of Bangladesh's energy has fallen by two-thirds

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