Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2025

The report finds that the world is off-track to meet all SDG7 targets by 2030. While electricity access has improved, Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 85% of the remaining deficit. Clean cooking access is severely lagging, with 2.1 billion people lacking access. Renewable energy shares in total final energy consumption are stagnating, and energy intensity improvements are insufficient, requiring a 4% annual increase to meet goals.

• As of 2023, approximately 666 million people globally lack access to electricity, with Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 85% of this deficit.
• Universal electricity access is not on track for 2030; projections suggest between 645 and 678 million people will remain unelectrified by that date.
• Approximately 2.1 billion people lack access to clean cooking fuels and technologies, with the deficit split nearly equally between Asia (47%) and Africa (47%).
• Clean cooking access is significantly off-track, with projections indicating 1.7 to 1.8 billion people will still lack access in 2030.
• The global share of renewables in Total Final Energy Consumption (TFEC) was 17.9% in 2022, while the share of modern renewables was 13%.
• International public financial flows to developing countries for clean energy recovered in 2023 to USD 21.6 billion, though this remains only 75.8% of the 2016 peak of USD 28.4 billion.
• Global energy intensity improved by 2.1% in 2022, but an average annual improvement rate of 4% is now required through 2030 to achieve SDG 7.3.
• Global investment in renewable power reached USD 760 billion in 2024, with China (40%) and advanced economies (23%) accounting for the majority of spending.
• Energy efficiency investment in 2024 reached USD 425 billion, which is approximately 75% of the USD 566 billion annual amount required under the IEA's Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario.
• Grid inefficiency is a major barrier, with 45% of global renewable energy generation capacity connected to inefficient grids as of the end of 2023.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2025). Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2025. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2025-12/SEforALL%20SDG7_TRACKING_2025-data_analysis.pdf

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2025. 2025. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2025-12/SEforALL%20SDG7_TRACKING_2025-data_analysis.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2025 |date=December 2025 |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2025-12/SEforALL%20SDG7_TRACKING_2025-data_analysis.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2025tracking, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2025}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2025-12/SEforALL%20SDG7_TRACKING_2025-data_analysis.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }