Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2026

The Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2026 by Sustainable Energy for All indicates that the world is off track to meet all Sustainable Development Goal 7 targets by 2030. While global electricity access has improved, progress is decelerating and heavily concentrated in Asia, leaving Africa with the vast majority of the unelectrified population. Clean cooking access is failing to keep pace with population growth in Africa, and global renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements are too slow to meet the required trajectories.

• Global electricity access is decelerating, with 655 million people lacking access in 2024. While 89 million people gained access in 2024, population growth offset these gains, resulting in a global access deficit reduction of only 1.7%.
• The electricity access gap is now overwhelmingly concentrated in Africa, which holds approximately 89% of the world's unelectrified population. In Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a stark divide between urban electrification (83%) and rural electrification (33%).
• Approximately 2 billion people lack access to clean cooking fuels and technologies. Progress is highly uneven: Asia's deficit has fallen by about 57% since 2010, largely driven by India and China, while Africa's deficit has risen by approximately 26% since 2010.
• Renewable energy accounted for 18.0% of total final energy consumption in 2023, with modern renewables making up 13.4%. Africa is the only region where the overall renewable share has declined since 2010.
• Global energy efficiency is slowing, with energy intensity improving by only 1.5% in 2023. To achieve SDG 7.3 by 2030, annual improvements of approximately 4% are now required.
• Investment in clean energy is insufficient in developing countries. International public financial flows for clean energy in developing countries reached USD 24.6 billion in 2024, which is only 78% of the 2016 peak.
• A small group of high-impact economies disproportionately influence global progress. The 20 largest energy-consuming countries account for roughly 75% of global energy demand, yet only 16% of their energy comes from renewable sources.
• Projections indicate that by 2030, at least 644 million people will remain without electricity and approximately 1.6 billion will lack clean cooking access if current trends continue.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2026). Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2026. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2026-07/SEforALL%20Tracking%20SDG7%20-%20The%20Energy%20Progress%20Report%202026_22Jul2026.pdf

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2026. 2026. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2026-07/SEforALL%20Tracking%20SDG7%20-%20The%20Energy%20Progress%20Report%202026_22Jul2026.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2026 |date=July 2026 |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2026-07/SEforALL%20Tracking%20SDG7%20-%20The%20Energy%20Progress%20Report%202026_22Jul2026.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2026tracking, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2026}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2026}, month = jul, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2026-07/SEforALL%20Tracking%20SDG7%20-%20The%20Energy%20Progress%20Report%202026_22Jul2026.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }