Almost 92 percent of the world’s population now has basic access to electricity, an improvement since 2022, but over 666 million people remain without access, according to the “Tracking SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) 7: The Energy Progress Report 2025” released by two United Nations agency, the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the World Bank on 25 June.

The annual report also indicated that the current rate of providing access to energy is insufficient to meet the UN SDG 7 — access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all — by 2030.

The distribution of renewable energy (RE), a combination of mini-grid and off-grid solar systems, accelerated access particularly to the population remaining unconnected, mostly in remote, lower-income and fragile areas. Cost-effective and rapidly scalable, decentralized solutions are able to reach communities in such rural areas, it says.

Decentralized solutions are also needed to increase access to clean cooking, according to the report.

With an estimated 1.5 billion people residing in rural areas still lacking access to clean cooking, the use of off-grid clean technologies, such as household biogas plants and mini-grids that facilitate electric cooking, can provide solutions that reduce health impacts caused by household air pollution.

Over 2 billion people remain dependent on polluting and hazardous fuels such as firewood and charcoal for their cooking needs.

“Despite progress in some parts of the world, the expansion of electricity and clean cooking access remains disappointingly slow, especially in Africa. This is contributing to millions of premature deaths each year linked to smoke inhalation, and is holding back development and education opportunities. Greater investment in clean cooking and electricity supply is urgently required, including support to reduce the cost of capital for projects,” Fatih Birol, executive director of the IEA, says.