TRACKING SDG7 2025 THE ENERGY PROGRESS REPORT

The report finds that global progress toward SDG 7 is off track, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. While electricity access reached 92% in 2023, 666 million people remain unconnected. Clean cooking access stands at 74%, leaving 2.1 billion people dependent on polluting fuels. Renewable energy's share of total final energy consumption was 17.9% in 2022, and global energy intensity improved by 2.1% in 2022. International public financial flows to developing countries for clean energy reached USD 21.6 billion in 2023, though this remains below the 2016 peak of USD 28.4 billion.

• Global electricity access reached 92% in 2023, with 666 million people still lacking access. This is an improvement from 87% in 2010, but the growth rate is insufficient to reach universal access by 2030.
• Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 85% of the global population without electricity, up from 50% in 2010. In 2023, the region's net electricity access gap fell by only 5 million people (from 570 million in 2022 to 565 million in 2023) because population growth nearly offset new connections.
• Approximately 74% of the global population had access to clean cooking fuels and technologies in 2023, leaving 2.1 billion people dependent on polluting fuels. Projections suggest only 78% will have access by 2030, leaving 1.8 billion people without clean solutions.
• In Sub-Saharan Africa, the number of people lacking access to clean cooking grows by 14 million annually. The region's access rate is particularly low in rural areas, where only 7% of the population has access compared to 42% in urban areas.
• Renewable energy sources accounted for 17.9% of the world's total final energy consumption (TFEC) in 2022. While renewables made up almost 30% of global electricity consumption in 2022, their penetration in transport (3.9%) and heat (21%) remains limited.
• Installed renewable energy capacity reached 478 watts per capita globally in 2023. There is a significant disparity between developed countries (1,162 watts per capita) and developing countries (341 watts per capita), with Sub-Saharan Africa lagging at 40 watts per capita.
• Global primary energy intensity declined by 2.1% in 2022, reaching 3.87 MJ/USD. To meet the SDG 7.3 target of doubling the improvement rate relative to 1990–2010, energy intensity must improve by an average of 4% per year through 2030.
• International public financial flows to developing countries for clean energy reached USD 21.6 billion in 2023, a 29% increase from 2022. However, this is lower than the 2016 peak of USD 28.4 billion.
• Solar energy dominated international public financial flows in 2023, accounting for 44% of the total (USD 9.44 billion). Wind and hydropower followed, making up 22% of total flows combined.
• International public financial flows are heavily debt-based, with debt instruments expanding from 70% in 2022 to 83% in 2023. Grants declined by 39% to account for only 9.8% of flows in 2023.
• The top five recipients of international public flows in 2023 were India (almost USD 3 billion), Türkiye (USD 1.4 billion), Uzbekistan (USD 1.2 billion), South Africa (USD 935 million), and Nigeria (USD 829 million).
• To meet the COP28 goal of tripling global renewable power capacity by 2030, the world needs to reach at least 11,000 GW of capacity. Current policies leave an ambition gap of between 3.8 and 4.2 TW.
• Average annual energy-transition-related investments are estimated to need to be in the range of USD 4.2–4.5 trillion by 2030 to meet the SDG 7 targets.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2025). TRACKING SDG7 2025 THE ENERGY PROGRESS REPORT. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2025-11/SDG7-Report2025-0804-V11.pdf

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. TRACKING SDG7 2025 THE ENERGY PROGRESS REPORT. 2025. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2025-11/SDG7-Report2025-0804-V11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=TRACKING SDG7 2025 THE ENERGY PROGRESS REPORT |date=2025 |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2025-11/SDG7-Report2025-0804-V11.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2025tracking, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{TRACKING SDG7 2025 THE ENERGY PROGRESS REPORT}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2025}, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2025-11/SDG7-Report2025-0804-V11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }