Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 86% of the global electricity access gap in 2024, with 563 million people without electricity. The region’s share of the global electricity access deficit increased from 49% in 2010, when 565 million people lacked access. Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia together account for nearly one-third of the global electricity access gap. According to orientalnewsng.com, Nigeria has about 87 million people without electricity access, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo has 85 million. According to dabafinance.com, between 2022 and 2024, Sub-Saharan Africa added an average of 42 million electricity connections each year, while its population grew by about 38 million annually, resulting in a net decrease of about 4 million people without electricity each year. Eighteen of the 20 countries with the largest electricity access deficits are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to orientalnewsng.com. The Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2026 was published on June 24 by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO).