It confirms what many of us already know, progress is happening, but we’re not moving fast enough.

Some headline numbers:

• 2.1 billion people still cook without access to clean energy

• Global access reached 74% in 2023 (up from 57% in 2010)

• But at this rate, we’ll only reach 78% by 2030

• Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most underserved, with just 21% access

• Urban access is 89% & rural access is 55%

• 14 million more people in Africa fell behind on access in 2022 alone

The clean cooking gap is not just about energy. It’s about time, health, climate, and basic equity:

• Households spend up to 650 hours per year collecting fuel and cooking

• An estimated 2.9 million deaths annually are linked to household air pollution

• Investment in clean cooking is still just $2.5 billion per year but we need $10 billion to stay on track

The report also notes that 20 countries represent nearly 70% of the global access gap.

Some are seeing real progress. Others aren’t even close.

So where does this leave us?

We need public-private strategies that prioritize household realities, not abstract targets.

We need to support the countries trying to lead, and hold the system accountable where it’s failing.

What’s your take?

Where are the biggest blind spots right now in how the sector tracks or funds clean cooking?