Energy Access Report 2025 · Key messages
Clean power reached more homes than ever this year — but the poorest are being left behind.
- Connections grew fastest in cities.
- Rural households saw almost no change.
Renewables are now the cheapest new power in most of the countries we studied.
- Solar costs fell again.
- Finance is still the bottleneck, not technology.
Illustrative figures — replace with your own.
Where households stand today:
- 62% — of urban homes have reliable power
- 28% — of rural homes do
- 9% — of the poorest fifth do
Two changes would close half the gap by 2030.
Half of the shortfall is upfront cost that pay-as-you-go finance can cover.
Local installers, trained and licensed, reach the last mile fastest.
Rural households with reliable power
Barely moving while cities race ahead.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 22% |
| 2021 | 24% |
| 2023 | 26% |
| 2025 | 28% |
Illustrative figures — replace with your own.
Energy access is no longer a technology problem. It is a question of who we choose to reach first.
Report lead author
What must change
Governments should put rural homes first in every new energy plan.
- Set rural targets, not national averages.
- Publish progress every year.
Lenders should price the risk fairly — the repayment record is strong.
- Nine in ten small solar loans are repaid on time.
And everyone should measure what matters: power that works when it is needed.
- Count hours of supply, not connections.
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