Half find it difficult to obtain health care, identity documents, and police assistance.
Key findings
- On average across 38 countries, public services dominate Africans' agenda for needed government action. Health tops the list of citizens' concerns, and education, infrastructure/roads, water supply, crime/security, and electricity all rank in the top 10.
- Africans are dissatisfied with the delivery of crucial public services. Six in 10 respondents (60%) say their governments are doing a poor job of providing water and sanitation services and fighting crime, and 54% give failing marks on health care, infrastructure, and electricity. Only the education sector shows a balance of positive and negative assessments.
- On average, 60% of surveyed households have connections to the national electric grid, and 49% receive their water from a piped public or community water system.
- Rural residents and poor citizens are far less likely to have access to piped water and electricity than their urban and better-off counterparts.
- Access to these services varies widely across countries. Only 7% of Nigerians report enjoying piped water, and only 14% of Malawians have an electricity connection, compared to near-universal access to both services in Mauritius and Seychelles.
- Compared to five years ago, electricity access has remained stagnant on average. Ten countries show significant gains, led by Kenya (+15 percentage points), Tanzania (+13 points), and Liberia (+13 points), while declines are observed in Zambia (-15 points), Gabon (-13 points), and six other countries.
- Among citizens who sought selected public services during the previous year, only about half say it was easy to obtain an identity document from the government (50%), medical care at a public clinic or hospital (49%), and assistance from the police (48%), while the other half report that it was "difficult" or "very difficult."
- Economically disadvantaged individuals are significantly more likely than better off citizens to report difficulties in accessing these three types of services.
- On average across 30 countries surveyed in both 2014/2015 and 2024/2025, growing proportions of citizens seeking identity documents and public health care report difficulties in obtaining them.
- Substantial proportions of those who interacted with selected public services during the previous year say they had to pay a bribe to avoid problems with the police (37%) and to obtain police assistance (36%), an identity document (29%), and medical care (22%).
- Poor citizens and youth were more likely to have to pay bribes to the police, government officials, and health-care personnel than better-off and older citizens.
- The prevalence of bribe payment to obtain these services varies widely by country, ranging up to 83% for police assistance in Liberia, 64% for identity documents in Congo-Brazzaville, and 62% for medical services in Sierra Leone.
- Over the past decade, bribe payment for identity documents and medical care has become more common, increasing by 7-8 percentage points on average across 30 countries.
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On the African continent, many people experience the quality of day-to-day life through their access to important public services. Electricity, clean drinking water, health care, education, transportation, security, and other services not only directly affect their daily lives but also determine economic opportunities, social trajectories, and how citizens perceive the state. The most vulnerable households suffer the most when public services are lacking, inaccessible, or of low quality (World Bank, 2023; United Nations Development Programme, 2024).
In recent years, many African governments have undertaken efforts to expand public services and improve infrastructure. Despite years of significant investment, progress in providing basic services to people across Africa continues to be uneven. There are large gaps between rural and urban areas, between regions, and between socioeconomic groups, preventing investments from making a meaningful contribution toward reducing inequality (African Development Bank, 2025).
In addition, how citizens experience interactions with public service providers plays an important role in how they view government performance. Obtaining health care, an identity document, police assistance, or other services can be a time-consuming, expensive, and sometimes degrading experience for citizens. In many countries, difficulties are exacerbated by corruption, including informal payments required to access essential services that are guaranteed by law (Transparency International, 2024).
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This Pan-Africa Profile takes a look at the daily experiences of Africans with public services. It highlights significant disparities in access, ongoing difficulties in securing crucial services, and the extent of corruption in citizens' interaction with their governments. Together, these challenges suggest why public services dominate citizens' agenda for needed government action.
Mamadou Abdoulaye Diallo Mamadou Abdoulaye Diallo is a research associate for the Consortium pour la Recherche Economique et Sociale (CRES) in Dakar, Senegal
Yayra Azaglo Yayra Azaglo is research assistant for Afrobarometer.
Mohamed Nejib Ben Saad Mohamed Nejib Ben Saad is the data quality manager for post-fieldwork at Afrobarometer.
