Over 660 Million People Still Lack Electricity

A new global report released Wednesday by the World Health Organization and partner agencies has revealed that more than 666 million people around the world still lack access to electricity, despite energy now reaching nearly 92% of the global population.

Published on the United Nations News platform, the report highlights that while there has been progress in energy access since 2022, the current pace remains far too slow to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of universal access by 2030.

The findings also show that energy poverty continues to be heavily concentrated in rural areas, with an estimated 1.5 billion people still lacking access to clean cooking technologies.

Over two billion people remain reliant on harmful and polluting fuels such as wood and coal for cooking, increasing the risk of serious health problems and environmental damage.

Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said that despite progress in some regions, the global push to expand access to electricity and clean cooking remains disappointingly slow—particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, home to 85% of the world’s population without electricity.

The report identified a lack of affordable and sustainable financing as a key factor behind regional disparities and the sluggish pace of progress.

Although public international financial flows to support clean energy in developing countries have risen since 2022, they were still significantly lower in 2023 than in 2016.