Goal 7 of 17 Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
Energy access keeps expanding: 92 per cent of the world's population had electricity in 2023, reducing the number of people without it to 666 million — 18.8 million fewer than the year before — and 45 countries have reached universal access in the past decade. Renewable sources are now the fastest-growing form of power generation, and clean cooking fuels reached about 74 per cent of the population.
Progress is still badly uneven. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for about 85 per cent of the people without electricity, most of them rural, and population growth is outpacing new connections. Roughly 2.1 billion people still cook with polluting fuels and stoves, with serious consequences for health, time use — mostly for women and girls — and emissions.
An energy system that is still largely powered by fossil fuels is also driving the climate crisis. Doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency and expanding renewables beyond the electricity sector are central to the transition.
Goal 7 is about reliable, affordable, modern energy for everyone by 2030 — which means better grid and off-grid solutions, targeted finance for the least developed countries, and strong international cooperation on clean energy technology.