Around the world, a large number of people still do not have access to some of the basic necessities of life, starting with access to clean water and food, and ending with electricity. The data presented by the International Energy Agency (IEA) show that there is an improvement trend, but it is not enough.
In the period from 2022 to 2023, the number of people who do not have access to this resource decreased by 10 million, bringing the total number to 750 million last year.
The latest IEA estimates are that during 2024 this number was reduced, by approximately the same number as during the previous period 2022-2023. If it is taken into account that in the period between 2015 and 2019 this number decreased by an average of 80 million per year, the current trend is very slow.
At the moment, the rates of improvement are well below those needed to achieve SDG7.1 on universal access to electricity by 2030. This goal implies that the number of people without access will decrease on average ten times faster than it is today. To clarify, universal access means that all people, regardless of their geographical, economic or social circumstances, have the same opportunity and right to use electricity.
Overview by country
Developing countries in Asia have made significant progress over the past decade in expanding access to electricity – more than half a billion people. Universal access, India and Indonesia achieved between 2021 and 2022, while Bangladesh achieved it in 2023. Moreover, over 70 percent of countries in the region achieved access rates above 90 percent.
However, as these countries moved closer to universal access, the trend slowed. Thus, as of 2023, about 107 million people in this region still do not have access, mostly in Pakistan, Myanmar and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. This kind of challenge was also noted in Latin America. Namely, although most countries have achieved a high level, for more remote and indigenous populations, progress is more challenging than expected.
The biggest gap remains in sub-Saharan Africa, where 80 percent of the world’s population lives without access to electricity. After three years of setbacks, progress has continued since 2023, and this has enabled accelerated connection to the electricity grid as well as further growth in the installation of solar home systems. In addition, the development of new mini-grids also played a role. In this region, around 600 million people still do not have access to electricity. It is important to emphasize that the three-year period of regression has meant that the current pace of progress is not fast enough to significantly reduce the number of people without access to electricity. This means that at this moment the number of people without electricity is higher than it was in 2019.
Despite progress, the IEA points out that greater financial commitments are needed to accelerate global energy access. Without additional measures, around 645 million people will not have access to electricity by 2030. Although some countries have recently achieved positive changes, there are still challenges such as limited financing, rising debts and difficulties in implementing smaller projects. Renewed financial commitments are the key to continued progress, particularly through the mobilization of climate and concessional funds for developing countries.
Energy portal
Source: energetskiportal.rs
