92% of world’s population now has access to electricity

Almost 92 percent of the global population now has access to electricity, up from 87 percent in 2010, according to the latest data on energy access.

This improvement marks a significant milestone in the push toward universal electrification, but progress remains uneven, and the pace must increase substantially to meet global targets by 2030.

According to the energy progress report, electricity access grew faster than the global population in 2023 alone, lifting the access rate to 92 percent and reducing the number of people without power to 666 million, 19 million fewer than the previous year.

Despite this achievement, the remaining unconnected populations are largely concentrated in remote, low-income, and conflict-affected areas, making further progress increasingly challenging.

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“Renewables have seen record growth in recent years, reminding the world of its affordability, scalability, and its role in further reducing energy poverty. But we must accelerate progress at this crunch time,” said Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

He added that: “This means overcoming challenges, which include infrastructure gaps. The lack of progress, especially on infrastructure, is a reflection of limited access to financing. Although international financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy grew to $21.6 billion in 2023, only two regions in the world have seen real progress in the financial flows.

“To close the access and infrastructure gaps, we need strengthened international cooperation to scale up affordable financing and impact–driven capital for the least developed and developing countries.”

The report highlights stark regional differences. Central and Southern Asia recorded the most substantial gains between 2020 and 2023, slashing their electricity access gap from 414 million in 2010 to just 27 million in 2023.

In contrast, Sub-Saharan Africa’s pace of electrification remains sluggish. Though 35 million people in the region gained access in 2023, population growth of 30 million meant the net reduction in those without electricity was just 5 million, down from 570 million in 2022 to 565 million in 2023.

Sub-Saharan Africa now accounts for 85 percent of the global population without electricity, a sharp rise from 50 percent in 2010. Eighteen of the 20 countries with the largest access deficits are located in the region.

Nigeria (86.6 million), the Democratic Republic of Congo (79.6 million), and Ethiopia (56.4 million) alone represent more than one-third of the global population still living without electricity.

The urban-rural divide, though narrowing, remains a key issue. In 2023, 84 percent of people without electricity lived in rural communities. Central and Southern Asia made notable progress in rural electrification, cutting their rural access gap from 383 million in 2010 to 24.8 million in 2023.

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However, Sub-Saharan Africa struggled to keep pace, with 451.1 million people in rural areas still lacking electricity due to rapid population growth.

While global access to electricity continues to improve, experts warn that reaching universal access by 2030 will require a renewed and focused effort, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the need is most urgent.