Actions registered under the United Nations Energy Compacts have provided new or improved electricity access to 308 million people since the initiative was launched in 2021, according to the fifth Energy Compacts Annual Progress Report.
Despite that progress, 655 million people still live without electricity, and clean cooking remains far behind target, with roughly two billion people continuing to cook with polluting fuels.
Energy Compact participants have installed 338 gigawatts of renewable capacity since 2021, with finance mobilised reaching $389 billion compared with $201 billion in 2024, though the UN says more than $4 trillion in annual investment is needed to achieve universal energy access while reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
The report also links the programme to wider development gains, including electricity access at more than 17,000 health facilities serving about 43 million people and 1.66 million green jobs.