The world has made progress toward universal energy access, with 92% now connected, yet 666 million people still live without electricity in 2025. This progress, while noteworthy, is too slow to meet Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7), which aims for full electricity access by 2030.
The latest Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2025 highlights regional disparities, underinvestment, and policy inertia as key obstacles.
Sub-Saharan Africa continues to face the largest energy access challenges, with 85% of those without electricity residing in the region. Infrastructure constraints, limited investment, and weak policy environments have kept electrification efforts stagnant in many fragile economies.
Meanwhile, Central and Southern Asia have significantly improved, dropping their electricity access gap by over 380 million people since 2010.
CLEAN COOKING: A GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY
The clean cooking crisis remains dire. Over 2 billion people still rely on smoke-producing fuels, such as charcoal and firewood. Polluting cooking methods lead to respiratory diseases and premature deaths, disproportionately affecting women and children in low-income households.
Progress slowed during the pandemic, and current rates suggest only 78% access by 2030. This falls short of universal clean cooking goals.
WHY DECENTRALISED ENERGY MATTERS MORE THAN EVER
Distributed renewable energy solutions—like mini-grids and off-grid solar—are crucial to reaching remote, underserved communities quickly and affordably. These technologies bypass traditional grid expansion. They deliver reliable energy where it’s needed most and support clean cooking systems like electric stoves.
Decentralised systems are scalable, low-cost, and increasingly efficient, making them vital to closing the electricity and cooking access gap.
INVESTMENT GAPS: WHY FINANCING IS FALLING SHORT
International public financing for clean energy in developing countries grew to $21.6 billion in 2023, marking the third consecutive year of increases.
Yet, this remains below the $28.4 billion peak in 2016, and most funds are still debt-based, making them less accessible for poorer nations. Grants account for less than 10% of financing, indicating a major need for more concessional funding and risk mitigation instruments.
REGIONAL REALITIES: SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA IN FOCUS
In 2023, sub-Saharan Africa had just 40 watts of renewable energy capacity per capita. This is only one-eighth the average of other developing nations. Despite some progress, the number of people without clean cooking is increasing in the region by 14 million annually.
This trend shows that without urgent, targeted interventions, Africa will continue to lag far behind global energy targets.
RENEWABLE ENERGY: GROWING BUT NOT EQUALLY SHARED
Globally, installed renewable energy capacity reached 478 watts per capita in 2023—a 13% increase from the previous year.
Still, this growth is uneven. Least developed countries continue to struggle with limited access to capital and technical capacity for deployment. While renewables now make up nearly 30% of electricity consumption, other energy uses—like transport and heating—show limited renewable integration.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY: A KEY METRIC FALLING BEHIND
Energy efficiency is another critical dimension of SDG 7, with the goal of improving global energy intensity by 2.6% annually through 2030.
In 2022, global energy intensity fell by 2.1%, which is better than 2021’s 0.5% but still insufficient to meet efficiency goals. Energy efficiency reduces costs, boosts productivity, and cuts emissions—making it an essential complement to electrification and renewable energy growth.
GLOBAL CALLS TO ACTION: WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING
WHO’s Dr. Tedros emphasized the health impacts of poor energy access, linking pollution to millions of premature deaths annually. IEA’s Fatih Birol noted that energy poverty holds back education and economic opportunities, particularly in Africa, urging expanded clean energy investment.
IRENA’s Francesco La Camera pointed to financial inequality and infrastructure deficits as critical barriers to rapid, widespread energy deployment.
MISSION 300: A MODEL FOR SCALABLE SOLUTIONS
Under the Mission 300 initiative, 12 African nations have launched national energy compacts aimed at accelerating reforms and scaling distributed systems. These initiatives align with SDG 7 and seek to lower generation costs, improve policy frameworks, and attract blended finance for clean energy.
Public-private partnerships are at the heart of this effort, but they need broader international backing to scale successfully.
THE ROAD AHEAD: ACTIONS NEEDED NOW
To meet SDG 7 by 2030, stakeholders must act urgently to close investment gaps, reform policy, and embrace decentralised technologies. Solutions include concessional financing, improved energy planning, streamlined regulations, and enhanced donor coordination for impact-focused funding.
Without these, progress will stall, leaving millions behind and undermining global health, education, and climate goals.
