The number of people without electricity in the world has fallen to 840 million, and the level of electrification has reached 89%

According to a new report Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2019 by 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), the global electrification rate currently reaches 89%, and the number of people without electricity has fallen to 840 million, compared to 1 billion in 2016 and 1.
2 billion in 2010
。

Global electrification level map

According to current policies, it is estimated that by 2030, 8% of the global population will be without electricity, of which 90% will be in
sub-Saharan Africa.

Despite progress in global electrification, nearly 840 million people still lack access to electricity, and an estimated 650 million people are expected to be without access to electricity
by 2030, according to the report.

Among the countries with the largest populations without access to electricity, Bangladesh, Kenya, Myanmar and Sudan have made the most progress
.
Among the least electrified countries, South Sudan, Guinea-Bissau and the Central African Republic have seen electrification rates increase by about 3 percentage points
per year since 2010.
Cambodia, Afghanistan and Nepal are currently among the
fastest growing countries in electrification.

Sustaining and scaling up the pace of progress will require strong political commitment, long-term energy planning, enhanced private financing, and appropriate policy and fiscal incentives
, the report argues.
Combining on-grid and off-grid solutions, including solar lighting, solar home systems and increasingly mini-grids, will be critical
.
At the same time, the reliability and affordability of electricity cannot be ignored
.
One-third of power-poor countries face more than one power outage
per week.
Of these countries, 40 per cent of households cannot afford basic electricity, and half
are in the country.

In terms of renewable energy, in 2016, renewable energy accounted for 17.
5% of total global energy consumption, compared to 16.
6%
in 2010.
Renewables have been growing rapidly in power generation, but less progress has been made in energy consumption in heat and transportation
.
The energy system needs to be substantially increased further to be affordable, reliable and sustainable
.
As renewable energy becomes mainstream, policies need to cover the integration of renewables into the broader energy system and take into account the socio-economic impacts
that affect sustainability and the pace of transition.