What Happened
A 2024 satellite study has revealed that the number of people living without electricity is significantly higher than previously understood. While official estimates from international organizations place the figure at 730 million people, satellite imagery analysis suggests the actual number is closer to 1.18 billion — a difference of nearly 450 million people.
The discrepancy highlights a fundamental challenge in tracking global energy access: traditional surveys and government reports may not capture the full extent of energy poverty, particularly in remote or marginalized communities. Satellite data provides a more comprehensive view by directly observing which areas have lighting at night.
Most concerning is that global progress on electrification has stalled since 2020. The combination of the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic disruption, supply chain challenges, and increasing costs has slowed efforts to connect new communities to electrical grids.
Why It Matters
Energy poverty represents one of the most significant barriers to human development and economic progress. Without reliable electricity, communities cannot access modern healthcare, education, or economic opportunities. Children cannot study after dark, vaccines cannot be properly refrigerated, and small businesses cannot operate modern equipment.
The revelation that nearly 1.2 billion people lack electricity access underscores the massive gap between global energy abundance and energy equity. While wealthy nations grapple with managing growing electricity demand from data centers and artificial intelligence, more than one in seven people worldwide still live without basic electrical power.
This disparity is particularly stark in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the majority of those without electricity live. Despite the continent’s vast renewable energy potential — abundant solar, wind, and hydroelectric resources — political and economic barriers have prevented widespread electrification.
Background
The challenge of global electrification is not merely technological or economic — it’s fundamentally political. Even within countries that have robust electrical grids, energy poverty persists because political power is not evenly distributed. Rural and marginalized communities often lack the political influence to demand grid extensions or maintenance.
Historically, electrification efforts have focused on expanding centralized grid systems, which require massive infrastructure investments and years of planning. This approach has worked well in densely populated areas but has struggled to reach remote or economically disadvantaged communities.
Climate change is adding new complications to electrification efforts. Extreme weather events, droughts, and flooding — all worsened by climate change — are damaging existing electrical infrastructure and complicating new construction projects.
What’s Next
Despite these challenges, experts see promise in decentralized clean energy solutions, particularly the combination of solar power and energy storage. These technologies can potentially leapfrog traditional grid infrastructure, similar to how mobile phones allowed many developing countries to skip landline networks.
However, solar and battery systems only become effective ladders out of poverty when they reach a tipping point of both cost-effectiveness and reliability. This requires substantial investment in local technical capacity, supply chains, and maintenance networks.
The path forward will likely require a combination of approaches: continued investment in grid expansion where feasible, accelerated deployment of distributed renewable energy systems, and addressing the political and economic barriers that perpetuate energy inequality.
Success will depend not just on technology and financing, but on ensuring that energy access becomes a political priority for governments and international organizations. The satellite data showing 1.18 billion people without electricity serves as a stark reminder of how much work remains to achieve universal energy access.