Access to electricity

Energy Access

Access to electricity

1 in 10

people in the world - 733 million - doesn't have access to electricity.

75%

of the world's un-electrified population lives in sub-Saharan Africa.

We work with countries and partners to provide access to electricity, and the opportunities and dignity it brings, to last-mile communities.

Huge gains have been made in the last decades, with the share of the global population with access to electricity going from 73% in 1998 to 90% in 2020. However, a key barrier that remains and hinders efforts to reach universal access to electricity is a lack of funding for off-grid, sustainable energy solutions that can bring electricity to last-mile communities. It’s estimated that between US$ 35 billion and 40 billion are needed annually to reach universal electricity access between 2021 and 2030 to reach universal access to electricity. Public financing won’t be enough – this requires commercial capital. However, clean energy investments in developing countries are often still perceived as too risky by private investors.

UNDP's key principle to increase access to electricity is to work with governments to put in place the policies and regulations that de-risk and enable such investments.

Our focus

Removing investment barriers, with a focus on off-grid rural electrification. We work with governments to put in place the policies and regulations that enable large-scale clean energy investments in developing countries. To do so, we have developed the De-Risking Renewable Energy Investment (DREI) Framework – a unique methodology to help governments systematically identify barriers to clean energy investments, including in off-grid settings.
Maximizing the development benefits of electricity access by helping countries implement integrated sustainable energy solutions that advance progress on many Sustainable Development Goals. To do so, we focus on supporting the productive uses of energy.

Blog

Embracing solar power for businesses: Are you ready?

Press Releases

More than 300,000 people in Kazakhstan now live and work in more comfortable conditions

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan presented the outcomes of a nine-year initiative that supported 50 pilot projects led by small and m...

Owino Market Vendors benefit from Solar Power Installation

Blog

The big switch

Clean energy to power small island development

Publications

Targeted and Inclusive Approaches to Tackling Energy Poverty in a Crisis Context: Case Study from Moldova

This paper presents the main outcomes of the UNDP support for the establishment and implementation of a robust Energy Vulnerability Reduction Fund in Moldova, alo...

Energy Access