At a time when energy security and affordability have risen to the top of the development agenda, 655 million people globally still lack access to electricity, and two billion use polluting fuels and technologies for cooking, putting their health and well-being at risk. Data from the latest edition of Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report shows uneven progress, highlighting the critical need to focus on affordability and vulnerable communities.
Jointly published by the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) custodian agencies, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the World Bank Group, and the World Health Organization (WHO), the “Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report“ finds that of the 655 million, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) bears a disproportionate share of these gaps, with over 560 million living without electricity and 970 million lacking access to clean cooking.
Featuring new 2023 and 2024 data, the report shows that while most regions are nearing universal access, progress in SSA has slowed significantly, and the pace of electrification needs to triple to achieve universal access by 2030.
Despite these challenges, the report highlights encouraging progress in several areas of sustainable energy.
Renewable energy continued its strong expansion, accounting for over 30 percent of global electricity consumption, and renewable energy-generating capacity reached a global record of 544 watts per person, enough to power a refrigerator.
Urgent scale-up needed to meet 2030 goals
International public financial flows supporting clean energy in developing countries increased slightly to US$ 24.6 billion; and improvements in global energy efficiency continued to reach 3.76 megajoules per US dollar, although this remains an insufficient pace to meet SDG 7 targets.
However, the report warns that without urgent and scaled-up action, the world will fall short of achieving SDG 7 to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030.
Moreover, the current global energy crisis, while still unfolding, is expected to have a significant impact on energy markets and the broader economy.
In this context, accelerating domestic renewable energy deployment is increasingly seen as essential both for strengthening energy security and affordability as well as advancing long-term climate and development objectives.
Distributed renewable energy solutions, including off-grid solar and mini-grids, are cost-effective solutions for electricity access, already serving hundreds of millions of people.
Electric cooking, bioethanol and biogas are also gaining traction as scalable renewable energy cooking solutions, helping diversify clean cooking pathways.
Need to address affordability
Affordability remains a major obstacle to expanding electricity access. Even where infrastructure is available, many households cannot afford connection fees, wiring costs or basic energy services.
As countries work to reach the remaining unelectrified population, targeted subsidies, innovative financing mechanisms and least-cost electrification solutions will be essential to ensure that no one is left behind.
Financing constraints are hampering progress, with levels either insufficient to meet the SDG 7 goals or declining altogether in the poorest countries. International financial flows in support of clean energy to least developed countries declined significantly, registering US$3.7 billion in 2024, an 11 percent decrease from 2023.
Stronger political leadership, improved cross-sector coordination, and a strategic focus on the countries and communities most at risk of being left behind remain cross-cutting priorities in the lead-up to 2030.
Clear policy signals and sustained implementation are fundamental to diversifying the national energy mix, increasing renewable energy, reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports, and bolstering macroeconomic resilience against global supply chain disruptions.
Recent global energy shocks have made one thing clear: countries with strong renewable energy capacity are better positioned to withstand economic and supply disruptions. Accelerating the deployment of cost-competitive domestic renewables must now be central to strengthening both energy security and economic resilience, while pursuing SDG 7. To achieve this, the international community must prioritise affordable and tailored financial support, particularly for least developed countries facing the greatest barriers to access, commented Francesco La Camera, Director General, IRENA.
Key findings across primary indicators:
- Access to electricity. Despite gains, progress remains far too slow. In 2024, the global access rate stagnated at 92 percent, and annual growth halved compared to the previous decade. SSA and rural populations are increasingly left behind, with the rural deficit in SSA growing from 376 million in 2010 to 447 million in 2024. Achieving universal access by 2030 will now require the pace of progress to triple, to 1.3 percent per year.
- Access to clean fuels and cooking technologies. This remains the largest energy gap, affecting approximately two billion people — roughly one quarter of the world’s population. Progress is uneven, with a stark urban-rural divide: 89 percent of the urban population have access to clean cooking compared to only 56 percent of people living in rural areas. Without stronger action, 1.8 billion people could still rely on polluting fuels like charcoal, wood, kerosene, and coal, and harmful open fire cooking methods by 2030. SSA again accounts for a disproportionate share, with the number of people lacking access expected to reach one billion by 2027. This has severe health consequences, with household air pollution (HAP) being responsible for some 3 million deaths per year.
- Renewable energy. Renewables now supply over 30 percent of electricity, but their share in heat and transport remains limited. Despite record growth, disparities in renewable energy-generating capacity persist; renewable energy-generating capacity in low-income countries stood at only 33.6 watts per person, compared to 1,224 watts per person in high-income countries.
Energy efficiency. Progress is falling short of the pace required to meet global targets, with the rate of progress falling from 2.4 percent in 2022 to 1.5 percent in 2023. Recent improvements in energy intensity remain well below the level needed to align with SDG 7, highlighting a widening gap between ambition and implementation. Strengthening efficiency measures across sectors is essential not only for reducing energy demand but also for lowering costs and emissions. - International public financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy. The latest data reveals limited growth, insufficient relative to needs, with flows marginally increasing from US$24.4 billion in 2023 to US$24.6 billion in 2024. Despite the high cost of debt creating economic strain across developing countries, debt-based financing continues to be the main form of international public clean energy finance, accounting for about 80 percent of total flows in 2024. Grants accounted for 13 percent, while equity financing and risk guarantees remained comparatively marginal at 2 percent and 5 percent, respectively.
Francesco La Camera, IRENA Director-General, says: “
The report will be presented to decision-makers at a special launch event on July 8, 2026, following the in-depth review of SDG 7 at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York, which oversees progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
