Title registration for a systematic review: Access to electricity for improving health, education and welfare in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

As of 2013, about 1.2 billion people or about one-sixth of the world’s population and mostly poor, lack access to electricity.1 The majority of people without access to electricity are concentrated in rural areas (about 83%).2 The case for energy as a key driver of economic activities is well documented in available literature (Khandker, Barnes, & Samad, 2012). Energy services are considered important for productivity, income, health, education, potable water and communication services (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], 2005). The global population without access to electricity is concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and to a lesser extent in East Asia and the Pacific. In addition to the population that does not have access to electricity, up to a billion people, especially in developing countries, are subject to unreliable and low quality of power supply resulting in outages and brownouts and therefore, reduced benefits from electricity use. Even where electricity is within reach, inability to pay for an electricity connection and ongoing consumption is a significant barrier for many. Low connection rates are particularly prevalent among poorer households. The World Bank Group made a first attempt at investigating the welfare gains associated with electricity access in 2008 (IEG, 2008). This study proposes to update and expand the knowledge on the topic through a systematic review of impact evaluations that have addressed the linkage between access to electricity and health, education and welfare outcomes.