In Colombia, there are very tight links between extreme poverty and lack of access to electricity, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities nationwide. As recently as 2020, according to the National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE, 15.1 percent of the Colombian population lived in extreme poverty. Although nearly 95% of Colombians have access to electricity, there is a rural gap, with some 8% of their rural population lacking an electrical connection, according to the International Energy Agency’s 2021 World Electrification Report.
Context of Extreme Poverty in Colombia: Extreme poverty afflicts a considerable percentage of the population in Colombia. Its effects are exacerbated by a lack of access to essential services like electricity. Lack of access to electricity is a complex issue that must be thoroughly analyzed to understand the complexity of its effects and thus explore possible solutions.
Absence of Electrical Connection as an Obstacle to Development In Colombia, a lack of access to electricity has a significant impact on rural communities; Indigenous and afro-descendant communities suffer the most. According to recent studies by the Ministry of Mines and Energy, approximately 30 percent of families from the above-given communities do not have electrical connections. This factor makes access to educational and developmental processes very hard because most homes do not have light in their dwellings during study hours.
Socioeconomic Consequences of No Electricity According to the Inter-American Development Bank, rural areas without electricity reduce the possibility of education and generate a vicious cycle of poverty. Besides all this, UNDP research says that there is no local and regional economic development without access to technologies or productive means for those regions without electricity.
Possible Solutions and Policies to Address the Access to Electricity Gap: Considering the above conditions, in particular, vital government initiatives and electrification programs cannot be ruled out for decreasing the access to electricity, especially in rural areas. A second way to reach this ambitious goal, ensuring access to electricity sustainably, will be the diffusion of renewable and sustainable energies. The role of international cooperation and the private sector in energy development is also going to be important drivers of sustainable and equitable solutions.
Access to electricity in Colombia thus becomes an aggravating factor of extreme poverty, as at the exact moment, it diminishes the potential and well-being of communities suffering from this shortage. Through comprehensive strategies covering this situation, doors will be opened to opportunities for equitable and sustainable development. This shall mean moving toward greater electrical inclusiveness—that is, improvement in the living conditions of marginalized communities that will consequently lead to a better and fairer future for Colombia as a whole.