Electricity Access in non-OECD Countries: Do Household Size and Composition Matter?

Abstract

Despite considerable improvements in electricity coverage, millions of people are still lacking the access to electricity. Residential electricity access is a prerequisite for numerous aspects of increased well-being and quality of life. The aim of this paper is to identify key household characteristics that are linked to the energy poverty measured as access to electricity. Literature on financial and general poverty showed mixed results on household size and characteristics as a driver of poverty. We argue that household size and proportion of children in households are key variables associated with energy poverty in developing countries with lowest levels of electricity coverage. Our research approach treats electricity access as economic good and focuses on demand side – households. By utilizing census microdata across 69 non-OECD countries, our research provides large-scale analysis on household size and characteristics as a driver of energy poverty. We found that, in majority of low-income countries, same principles for general or financial poverty apply to energy poverty which is represented by negative effect of household size and proportion of children on energy poverty.