655 Million People Still Live Without Electricity as 2030 Energy Goal Slips Further Away

The world has added more renewable power, connected hundreds of millions of people to electricity, and improved clean cooking access over the past decade. But the latest numbers show the progress is still too slow.

Around 655 million people remained without electricity in 2024, while roughly two billion people continued to cook with polluting fuels and technologies such as wood, charcoal, kerosene, and coal.

The gap is not spread evenly.

Sub-Saharan Africa carries most of the burden. More than 560 million people in the region lack electricity, and around 970 million do not have access to clean cooking.

That means the global energy access problem is now heavily concentrated in the countries and communities with the least money, weakest infrastructure, and highest financing costs.

The world does not lack technology.

It lacks speed, affordability, and serious delivery.

Global Electricity Access Has Stalled at 92%

The global electricity access rate remained at 92% in 2024.

That may sound close to success. It is not.

The remaining 8% represents hundreds of millions of people who cannot reliably power lights, refrigerators, schools, health centres, farms, workshops, communication devices, or small businesses.

Annual progress has slowed sharply. The rate of improvement is now about half what it was during the previous decade.

To reach universal access by 2030, the pace of electrification must now triple to around 1.3% per year.

That is a steep requirement with very little time left.

The easy connections have often already been made. The people still without electricity tend to live in remote areas, fragile states, rural communities, informal settlements, or regions where grid expansion is expensive.

Reaching them will take more than large power plants.

It will require:

• Grid extensions where they make economic sense
• Mini-grids for towns and villages
• Off-grid solar systems for remote households
• Battery storage
• Targeted connection subsidies
• Affordable payment plans
• Better local maintenance and service networks

The last mile is usually the hardest.

Sub-Saharan Africa Is Falling Further Behind

The electricity deficit in Sub-Saharan Africa is not shrinking fast enough.

The region’s rural access gap has grown from 376 million people in 2010 to 447 million in 2024.

That is the clearest warning in the report.

The world is making progress overall, but the poorest rural communities are being left further behind.

Electricity access affects almost every part of development.

Without reliable power:

• Clinics struggle to refrigerate vaccines and medicines
• Schools cannot use digital tools or provide safe evening study
• Farmers lose food because cold storage is unavailable
• Businesses cannot run equipment consistently
• Households rely on candles, kerosene, or diesel
• Women and children spend more time on basic household tasks
• Communities remain cut off from modern communication

Energy access is not a side issue.

It is basic infrastructure for health, education, jobs, and economic growth.

Clean Cooking Remains the Largest Energy Gap

The clean cooking crisis is even larger than the electricity gap.

Around two billion people, nearly one-quarter of the global population, still cook with polluting fuels and inefficient technologies.

The urban-rural divide is severe.

About 89% of urban residents have access to clean cooking, compared with only 56% of rural residents.

Without stronger action, around 1.8 billion people could still depend on polluting cooking fuels by 2030.

The health cost is enormous.

Household air pollution contributes to roughly three million deaths each year. Smoke from cooking fires and inefficient stoves raises the risk of respiratory disease, heart disease, stroke, childhood pneumonia, and other long-term health problems.

Women and girls often face the highest exposure because they spend more time preparing food and collecting fuel.

They also lose hours each day gathering wood or other materials.

That creates a double burden.

The fuel damages health.
The search for fuel steals time.

Renewable Energy Is Growing, but Not Equally

There is progress.

Renewable energy now supplies more than 30% of global electricity consumption. Renewable generating capacity has reached a record average of 544 watts per person worldwide.

But global averages hide deep inequality.

High-income countries have around 1,224 watts of renewable capacity per person. Low-income countries have only 33.6 watts per person.

That is not a small difference.

It is a gap of more than 36 times.

The countries with the weakest energy access often have excellent solar, wind, hydro, or geothermal resources. Yet they struggle to turn those resources into working infrastructure because capital is expensive, public budgets are limited, and investors see higher risk.

So the places that need clean power most often pay the highest cost to finance it.

That is the trap.

Off-Grid Solar and Mini-Grids Can Move Faster

Large national grids are important, but they are not the only answer.

Distributed renewable energy systems are already serving hundreds of millions of people.

Off-grid solar kits can provide lighting, phone charging, fans, televisions, and basic appliances. Larger solar home systems can power refrigerators or productive equipment. Mini-grids can supply entire villages, clinics, schools, and local businesses.

These systems can often be built faster than long transmission lines.

They also reduce dependence on imported diesel.

But they still need:

• Affordable finance
• Reliable equipment
• Trained local technicians
• Consumer protection
• Replacement parts
• Clear tariffs
• Long-term maintenance

Installing a panel is easy.

Building an energy service that works for years is harder.

Affordability Is Blocking Access Even Where Power Exists

Infrastructure alone does not guarantee access.

Some families live near electricity networks but cannot afford connection charges, household wiring, meters, or monthly bills.

That means a village may technically be “electrified” while many homes remain disconnected.

Governments and development institutions need to focus more directly on affordability.

Practical options include:

• Targeted connection subsidies
• Pay-as-you-go solar
• Low-cost consumer finance
• Lifeline electricity tariffs
• Support for household wiring
• Grants for the poorest communities
• Results-based financing for providers

The goal should not be to build poles and declare success.

The goal is for people to use reliable electricity at a price they can manage.

Clean Energy Finance Is Still Too Small

International public financial flows supporting clean energy in developing countries rose slightly from $24.4 billion in 2023 to $24.6 billion in 2024.

That increase is not enough.

Worse, support to the least developed countries fell to $3.7 billion, down 11% from the previous year.

The structure of finance is also a problem.

Debt accounted for about 80% of international public clean energy finance in 2024. Grants made up only 13%, while equity and guarantees remained limited.

For poor countries already facing debt stress, more loans are not always a solution.

They may need grants, concessional finance, risk guarantees, blended finance, and stronger support for local currency lending.

Otherwise, clean energy projects can appear affordable on paper but become impossible once interest rates and currency risks are included.

Energy Efficiency Is Also Missing Its Target

The report found that progress in energy efficiency slowed from 2.4% in 2022 to 1.5% in 2023.

That is far below the pace needed to meet global targets.

Efficiency matters because the cheapest unit of energy is often the one that does not need to be produced.

Better buildings, appliances, motors, lighting, transport systems, and industrial equipment can:

• Reduce electricity demand
• Lower household bills
• Cut fuel imports
• Reduce emissions
• Improve grid reliability
• Make new energy supply go further

Energy access and energy efficiency should not be treated as separate goals.

A household with an efficient refrigerator needs less electricity. A mini-grid using efficient appliances can serve more customers. A clinic with efficient cooling can operate longer on the same solar and battery system.

The 2030 Goal Is Still Possible, but Not at the Current Pace

Sustainable Development Goal 7 calls for universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030.

At the current pace, the world will miss it.

That does not mean the goal should be abandoned.

It means governments and financial institutions need to stop treating energy access as a distant development promise and start managing it as an urgent delivery problem.

The priorities are clear:

• Focus investment on Sub-Saharan Africa
• Expand off-grid solar and mini-grids
• Make household connections affordable
• Scale clean cooking solutions
• Increase grants and concessional finance
• Mobilize responsible private investment
• Improve energy efficiency
• Support local companies and technicians
• Track who is actually receiving reliable service

Key Facts

• 655 million people lacked electricity in 2024
• Two billion people lacked clean cooking access
• More than 560 million people without electricity live in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Around 970 million people in the region lack clean cooking
• The global electricity access rate remained at 92%
• The pace of electrification must triple to reach universal access by 2030
• Household air pollution causes roughly three million deaths each year
• Renewables now provide over 30% of global electricity
• Low-income countries have only 33.6 watts of renewable capacity per person
• International public clean energy finance reached $24.6 billion in 2024
• Funding to least developed countries fell to $3.7 billion
• Debt accounted for around 80% of international public clean energy finance

The Bottom Line

The world has enough technology to give every person reliable electricity and cleaner cooking.

Solar panels exist. Batteries exist. Mini-grids work. Electric cooking, biogas, bioethanol, and cleaner stoves are already available.

The missing pieces are money, political focus, and execution.

Six hundred and fifty-five million people are still waiting for electricity. Two billion are still breathing smoke to cook a meal.

That is not a technology failure.

It is a delivery failure.