Global access to cooling gaps in 2022

In 2022, 1.2 billion rural and urban poor were at high risk due to lack of cooling access, an increase of 28 million from 2021. An additional 2.47 billion lower-middle-income people are at medium risk, while 1.36 billion middle-income people are at low risk. The report highlights that while electricity access has improved, income and urbanization trends drive cooling demand, with significant risks concentrated in Africa and the 'Critical 9' countries.

• In 2022, 1.2 billion people in rural and urban poor settings are at high risk due to a lack of access to cooling, which is an increase of more than 28 million people since 2021. The majority of this high-risk population, 1.17 billion, reside in high-impact countries.
• The population at medium risk, consisting of lower-middle-income individuals, increased from 2.36 billion to 2.47 billion. This group is described as being on the verge of purchasing affordable cooling devices, which could lead to a significant rise in emissions and energy use if sustainable options are unavailable.
• The middle-income population at low risk decreased by 76.7 million, falling from 1.44 billion to 1.36 billion. Despite the low risk to the individuals, this group poses risks to energy and climate systems if they choose unsustainable cooling appliances.
• Within the 'Critical 9' countries, the high-risk population grew by an average of 7 percent over the last year, except in Indonesia. India and China have the highest absolute numbers of people at high risk, with almost 323 million and 159 million respectively, while Mozambique and Nigeria have the highest relative shares of their populations at high risk.
• Africa contains the countries with the highest proportions of populations at high risk, specifically Guinea-Bissau and Somalia (over 90 percent), and Angola, Benin, Liberia, and Mozambique (over 80 percent).

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2022). Global access to cooling gaps in 2022. https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2022/global-access-to-cooling-gaps

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Global access to cooling gaps in 2022. 2022. https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2022/global-access-to-cooling-gaps.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Global access to cooling gaps in 2022 |date=November 2022 |url=https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2022/global-access-to-cooling-gaps |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2022global, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Global access to cooling gaps in 2022}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://www.seforall.org/chilling-prospects-2022/global-access-to-cooling-gaps}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }