NEWS – SDG 7: Energy Progress Report 2024, released by world bank

HIGHLIGHTS 2024

Increase in Electrification Gap

• Statistics: 685 million people lacked electricity access in 2022, an increase of 10 million from the previous year.
• Regional Focus: Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for over 80% of the global population without electricity access.

Clean Cooking Challenges

• Numbers:1 billion people still rely on polluting cooking fuels globally.
• Implications: This contributes to 3.2 million premature deaths annually and poses challenges for health, gender equality, and the environment.

Progress Towards SDG 7

• Renewable Energy Growth: Renewable electricity consumption increased by over 6% in 2021, reaching 28.2% of global electricity consumption.
• Disparities: Developed countries have significantly higher installed renewable energy capacity per capita compared to developing countries.

Energy Efficiency and Financial Flows

• Energy Intensity Improvement: A slight improvement in energy intensity (0.8% in 2021) was observed but remains below the long-term average required to meet SDG 7 targets.
• Financial Support: International public financial flows for clean energy in developing countries rebounded in 2022 but are still below peak levels.

Projections and Challenges Ahead

• Future Outlook: Under current policies, projections show 660 million people without electricity access and 1.8 billion lacking clean cooking technologies by 2030.
• Energy Efficiency Challenge: Progress in energy efficiency rates is lagging, necessitating accelerated efforts to meet SDG 7 targets.

SDG 7: ENERGY PROGRESS REPORT 2024

• Inception in 2018
• Global reference for information on progress toward the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• The aim of SDG 7 is to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.”
• Custodian agencies – the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO).