Accelerating Clean Energy Access: Global Progress and Challenges Ahead for Achieving Universal Energy for All by 2030

Over 655 million people globally lack access to electricity, while two billion rely on polluting fuels for cooking, according to the latest Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report, published by the SDG 7 custodian agencies. Sub-Saharan Africa bears the heaviest burden, with over 560 million people without electricity and 970 million lacking clean cooking solutions, the report found. These gaps threaten public health, economic development, and climate goals, as household air pollution from cooking fuels causes an estimated 3 million deaths annually.

The report highlights uneven progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, which aims to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030. While global electricity access stagnated at 92% in 2024, progress in Sub-Saharan Africa has slowed to a pace that would need to triple to meet the 2030 target. Renewable energy expanded to over 30% of global electricity consumption, but disparities in generating capacity remain stark: low-income countries have 33.6 watts per person compared to 1,224 watts in high-income nations.

Key findings across primary indicators

Access to electricity remains a challenge. Sub-Saharan Africa’s rural deficit in electricity access grew from 376 million in 2010 to 447 million in 2024, requiring the pace of progress to triple to 1.3% a year to achieve universal access by 2030. Meanwhile, clean cooking access lags, with 1.8 billion people expected to rely on polluting fuels by 2030. In rural areas, only 56% of populations have access to clean cooking solutions, compared to 89% in urban regions.

Renewable energy expansion has not yet translated into equitable access. While renewable energy-generating capacity reached a global record of 544 watts per person, low-income countries face systemic barriers. International public financial flows for clean energy in developing nations increased marginally to US$ 24.6 billion in 2024, but funding for the least developed countries dropped 11% to $3.7 billion. Debt-based financing accounted for 80% of these flows, raising concerns about sustainability.

Energy efficiency improvements also fall short of targets. The rate of progress slowed to 1.5% in 2023, far below the 2.4% recorded in 2022. This gap threatens to undermine efforts to reduce energy demand, lower costs, and cut emissions, according to the report.

Quotes from global leaders

He highlighted that “countries with strong renewable energy capacity are better positioned to withstand economic and supply disruptions.”

Valerie Levkov, Vice President for Infrastructure, World Bank Group, pointed to “proven technologies, effective financing models, and strong partnerships” as solutions to energy access gaps. She added that “constrained public budgets mean we must also mobilize much greater private sector investment.”

Challenges and calls for action

The report underscores that affordability remains a major barrier. Even where infrastructure exists, households often cannot afford connection fees, wiring costs or basic energy services. Targeted subsidies, innovative financing, and “least cost electrification solutions” are critical to reaching the most vulnerable populations, the authors wrote.

Political will and cross-sector coordination are also essential. The report calls for “clear policy signals” to diversify national energy mixes, reduce fossil fuel dependence, and bolster resilience against global supply chain disruptions. Without these measures, the world risks missing the 2030 SDG7 target entirely.

The findings will be presented at a special launch event on 8 July 2026, following the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York. The report, co-authored by the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization, serves as a global dashboard to track progress on energy access, efficiency, and international cooperation.