China Electricity Council: China's electrification rate expected to reach about 34% by 2029

Zhangjiakou, Hebei, September 22 (China News Service) — Reporter: Ruan Yulin — China has become the primary driver of global electrification, contributing over 80% to the world's electrification rate increase since 2015, according to the China Electrification Annual Development Report 2026, released on September 22 in Chongli, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province. The report projects that China's electrification rate will reach approximately 34% within the next three years.

Compiled by the China Electricity Council, the report was unveiled at the 2026 New Power System Development (Chongli) Forum held in Chongli on the same day.

Key Findings

• 2025 Electrification Rate: China's electrification rate stood at approximately 29.5% in 2025, an increase of 1.4 percentage points year-on-year.
• Driving Factors: The acceleration of high-end, intelligent, and green manufacturing; record highs in new energy vehicle production, sales, and penetration rates; the burgeoning computing power industry; and new scenarios and models driven by service consumption upgrades have all contributed to the upward trend in China's electrification rate.

Provincial Performance

All provinces recorded positive growth in electrification rates. Notably:

• Guangdong exceeded 40%.
• Qinghai, Zhejiang, Yunnan, and Jiangsu each surpassed 35%.

Industrial Electrification

China's industrial electrification transformation continues to gain momentum. In 2025:

• The industrial sector's electrification rate reached approximately 28%, up 1.2 percentage points from the previous year.
• High-tech and equipment manufacturing combined achieved an electrification rate of about 68%.
• Consumer goods manufacturing reached approximately 45.8%.

Future Projections

• 2029 Outlook: Multi-scenario forecasts indicate that the national electrification rate will reach between 33.5% and 34.4% by 2029.
• Sectoral Trends: Over the next three years, steady growth is expected in industrial, agricultural, and rural residential electrification rates, while the building and transportation sectors are likely to see accelerated increases. Together, these trends will sustain China's contribution to global electrification growth at around 80%.
• Low-Carbon Electrification: Over the next decade, China's low-carbon electrification rate is expected to increase by approximately 13 percentage points, 30% higher than the overall electrification rate increase over the same period.

Global Context

The report emphasizes that achieving sustained, rapid growth in global electrification rates in the context of climate change will require significant effort. By 2035, the global electrification rate is projected to reach around 30%. To achieve higher targets, countries must:

• Intensify the clean and low-carbon transformation of energy use in industry and households.
• Strengthen the core driving role of accelerated, high-quality new energy development.
• Improve the financing environment for global low-carbon electrification transformation.