SDG 7 Progress Slows As Global Energy Access Gaps And Funding Challenges Deepen – Report

The global effort to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7), which aims to ensure affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030, is facing serious challenges. After a decade of strong progress before 2020, a series of economic disruptions, energy crises, and global uncertainties has slowed momentum. As a result, the world is now falling behind on key energy targets, with vulnerable populations in developing regions facing the greatest difficulties, as per the IRENA report on TRACKING SDG7 THE ENERGY PROGRESS REPORT 2026.

Access to electricity remains one of the most pressing concerns. In 2024, the global electricity access rate remained unchanged at 92 percent, leaving around 655 million people without electricity. The pace of electrification has slowed significantly. Between 2010 and 2020, electricity access expanded by about 0.70 percentage points annually. However, from 2020 to 2024, that rate dropped to just 0.35 percentage points per year. To achieve universal electricity access by 2030, the annual growth rate must increase to approximately 1.35 percentage points.

The burden of electricity poverty is heavily concentrated in a small number of countries. The 20 countries with the largest electricity access deficits now account for 78 percent of the global population without power. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most affected region, with around 563 million people still lacking access to electricity. Nigeria leads the list with 87 million people without power, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo with 85 million and Ethiopia with 57 million. Countries such as South Sudan and Chad continue to face extremely low electricity access rates, highlighting the persistent challenges in some of the world’s poorest nations.

The gap between urban and rural electricity access also remains significant. Urban areas have reached nearly 98 percent electricity access, while rural regions remain at around 85 percent. Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where the rural electricity deficit continues to grow, reaching approximately 447 million people. To address this challenge, major initiatives such as Mission 300, launched by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank, aim to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. Experts believe that distributed renewable energy solutions, including off-grid solar systems and mini-grids, will play a crucial role in expanding access. However, affordability remains a major obstacle, as only about 22 percent of households without electricity can currently afford basic off-grid solar services.

The situation is equally concerning when it comes to clean cooking solutions. In 2024, around 75 percent of the global population had access to clean cooking fuels and technologies such as LPG, electricity, and biogas. Nevertheless, nearly 2 billion people still depend on traditional fuels such as wood, charcoal, and other biomass sources, which contribute to indoor air pollution and serious health risks. Current projections suggest that approximately 1.8 billion people will still lack access to clean cooking solutions by 2030.

While countries such as India, China, and Indonesia have made remarkable progress in expanding clean cooking access, Sub-Saharan Africa continues to struggle. Rapid population growth in the region is outpacing infrastructure development, causing the clean cooking access deficit to increase. The number of people lacking clean cooking solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa has reached around 970 million and could exceed 1 billion by 2027. In addition, around 50 million forcibly displaced people remain largely excluded from national energy planning efforts, creating another layer of challenge for policymakers.

Despite these setbacks, there have been positive developments in renewable energy deployment. Renewable energy accounted for 18 percent of total final energy consumption in 2023. The electricity sector continues to drive growth, with renewable sources supplying more than 30 percent of global electricity demand. Global installed renewable energy capacity reached a record 544 watts per person in 2024. However, significant inequalities remain. High-income countries enjoy an average renewable energy capacity of 1,224 watts per person, while low-income countries have only 33.6 watts per person. Progress in decarbonizing heating and transport sectors remains slow, limiting the overall pace of the energy transition.

Energy efficiency improvements have also slowed. Global energy intensity improved by only 1.5 percent in 2023, compared to 2.4 percent in 2022. To meet the SDG 7 target for energy efficiency, annual improvements must accelerate to 4.2 percent through 2030. This highlights the urgent need for stronger policies, technological innovation, and investment in energy-saving measures across industries and economies.

Financing remains one of the biggest challenges. International public financial flows supporting clean energy in developing countries remained stagnant at USD 24.6 billion in 2024. More concerning is the decline in funding for least-developed countries, which fell by 11 percent to USD 3.7 billion. This indicates a growing mismatch between where energy poverty is most severe and where financial resources are being directed.

Experts estimate that achieving SDG 7 and aligning with global climate goals will require annual energy transition investments of between USD 3 trillion and USD 5 trillion through 2030. Without stronger political commitment, better policy coordination, increased international cooperation, and greater financial support for developing nations, millions of people may continue to be left behind. The report underscores that achieving universal energy access and a fair energy transition will require urgent action, particularly for the world’s most vulnerable communities.