Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2026

The report finds that while progress continues, momentum is fading across all SDG7 indicators. Electricity and clean cooking deficits are increasingly concentrated in Africa, where population growth often offsets gains in access. Renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements are too slow to meet 2030 targets, with global progress heavily dependent on a small number of high-consuming economies and significant investment gaps in developing nations.

• Global electricity access has reached approximately 92%, but 655 million people still lack access as of 2024. Progress is decelerating, with 2024 being among the weakest years since 2010. The deficit is heavily concentrated in Africa, which holds about 89% of the world's unelectrified population; in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is a stark divide between urban (83%) and rural (33%) electrification rates.
• Approximately 2 billion people lack access to clean cooking fuels and technologies. While Asia has reduced its deficit by about 57% since 2010—driven largely by India and China—Africa's deficit has risen by approximately 26% since 2010 to roughly 997 million people. By 2030, it is projected that 1.6 to 1.7 billion people will still lack clean cooking, with Africa holding roughly two-thirds of that total.
• Renewable energy accounted for 18.0% of total final energy consumption in 2023, with modern renewables at 13.4%. Progress is uneven; Africa is the only region where the overall renewable share has declined since 2010. Furthermore, the 20 largest energy-consuming countries derive only 16% of their energy from renewables despite accounting for 75% of global demand.
• Global energy intensity improved by 1.5% in 2023, but the rate of improvement has slowed since 2015. To achieve SDG 7.3 by 2030, annual improvements must increase to approximately 4%. Investment in end-use energy efficiency reached USD 429 billion in 2025, which is only about 75% of the USD 566 billion per year required under the IEA Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario.
• Clean energy finance for developing countries is insufficient, reaching USD 24.6 billion in 2024, which is only 78% of the 2016 peak. There is a significant disparity in renewable capacity per person: developed countries have 1,249 Watts per capita compared to 405 Watts in developing countries, with Sub-Saharan Africa lagging furthest at 43 Watts per capita.

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_Executive%20Version_22Jul2026-2.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_Executive%20Version_22Jul2026-2.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_Executive%20Version_22Jul2026-2.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_Executive%20Version_22Jul2026-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }