日本の電灯の普及は欧米に比べても急速で、市部では１９１０年前後から普及が加速化し、１９２０年頃に普及率は９０％に達した。郡部においても電灯普及は着実に伸び、１９３０年頃に８５％となった。日本は国土が狭く水資源が豊富で、住居が密集しているという好条件に恵まれたことが電力の拡散過程が急速に起こった理由である。日本と同じく国土の狭いイギリスで普及が遅れた理由は、火力発電が主であったこと、政府の厳しい安全基準規制の存在、そして自治体が先行事業であったガスに力を注いだことが挙げられる。
The widespread use of electric lamps in Japan was rapid compared with Europe and America and it was accelerated in urban areas around 1910s and which was reached to 90% around 1920. For rural areas, the widespread use of electric lamp was grown steadily and its rate was reached to 85% around 1930.
The reasons of the rapid growth of electric lamp were because of preferable conditions of small country, rich water resources, congested residence areas.
The reasons of delay in widespread use of electric lamp in UK, of which land was small as similar to Japan, were mentioned to be because of mainly thermal power generation, imposition of strict safety standard laws, and local government focused on the preceding gas project.
