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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThere is no authoritative global ranking of the 10 countries with the poorest infrastructure overall. Infrastructure includes electricity, transport, water and sanitation, and communications, and each requires separate measures. The clearest comparable evidence here is electricity access: World Bank data for 2023 put South Sudan at 5.4%, Burundi at 11.6%, and Chad at 12.0%, against 91.6% worldwide. These are examples of severe infrastructure gaps—not a definitive cross-sector top ten.
Why there is no definitive top 10
A country can have very low electricity access but a different profile for roads, drinking water, sanitation, or communications. The World Bank catalogs these as separate indicators rather than combining them into one overall infrastructure score. Its Statistical Performance Indicators assess national statistical systems, not roads, utilities, or other physical infrastructure. A ranking would depend on which sectors it includes, how it weights them, what years it uses, and how it handles missing data.
For that reason, the comparisons below identify countries with documented shortfalls in electricity access. They should not be read as an overall ranking or as proof that these countries have the ten worst infrastructure systems across every sector.
Countries with particularly low electricity access
The World Bank’s 2025 Tracking SDG7 report identifies South Sudan, Burundi, and Chad among the countries with the lowest electricity-access rates. World Bank figures for 2023 give the following values:
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| Country or comparison | Population with access to electricity | Data year | What the figure measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Sudan | 5.4% | 2023 | National electricity access |
| Burundi | 11.6% | 2023 | National electricity access |
| Chad | 12.0% | 2023 | National electricity access |
| Worldwide | 91.6% | 2023 | Global electricity access, for context |
These access figures describe whether people have access to electricity; they do not establish how reliable a supply is, how many hours it is available, or whether it is affordable. Nor do they measure roads, water, sanitation, or internet service. The World Bank’s Tracking SDG7 report and its electricity-access indicator provide the relevant sector context.
Additional countries in the 2022 low-access group
The World Bank’s 2024 Tracking SDG7 report lists these countries among those with low electricity access, using 2022 data. The percentages below are not 2023 estimates.
| Country | Population with access to electricity | Data year |
|---|---|---|
| South Sudan | 5% | 2022 |
| Burundi | 10% | 2022 |
| Chad | 12% | 2022 |
| Malawi | 14% | 2022 |
| Burkina Faso | 19% | 2022 |
| Niger | 20% | 2022 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 21% | 2022 |
| Mozambique | 33% | 2022 |
| Madagascar | 36% | 2022 |
The table is a documented group, not a complete top ten: the cited report excerpt lists nine countries, and a low electricity-access rate alone cannot establish an overall infrastructure rank. See the 2024 Tracking SDG7 report for the report and its data-year context.
What these figures do—and do not—say about infrastructure
Electricity access
Access is a useful basic-service indicator, but it is not the same as reliability, capacity, affordability, or the quality of the grid. A national percentage also conceals differences between urban and rural communities.
Water and sanitation
The World Bank treats drinking water and sanitation, alongside electricity, as basic-infrastructure deprivation dimensions in its Multidimensional Poverty Measure. Its April 2026 update reports regional household deprivation for 100 economies circa 2023; the accompanying brief says the latest country data cover 158 economies. Those measures help describe essential-service deprivation, but uneven coverage and their household focus mean they are not a uniform global ranking of infrastructure systems. See the World Bank Multidimensional Poverty Measure.
Transport and communications
Road access and condition, as well as communications networks, require their own comparable indicators and reference years. The electricity statistics above cannot be used to infer which countries have the poorest roads or the least reliable communications. The World Bank’s infrastructure portal presents separate data series rather than one all-sector score.
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How to interpret “poorest infrastructure” comparisons
- Check the sector and indicator behind every percentage or rank; access, quality, reliability, and affordability are different measures.
- Check the observation year. The 2024 Tracking SDG7 report uses 2022 country values, while the cited World Bank country data give 2023 values.
- Do not treat an electricity-access ranking as a ranking of roads, water, sanitation, or communications.
- Be cautious of a single top-ten list unless it publishes its sectors, weights, coverage rules, treatment of missing data, and reference year.
The World Bank’s Statistical Performance Indicators concern the strength of countries’ statistical systems. They are not a substitute for physical infrastructure measures.
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