A new global report tracking energy-related development goals has flagged a sobering reality: the world remains off track in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7)—“access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all” by 2030. For developing countries like the Philippines, where overall electrification rates are high, the challenge lies not in broad access, but in closing persistent last-mile gaps and addressing the long-overlooked issue of clean cooking.

The Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2025*, released jointly by the International Energy Agency (IEA), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), United Nations Statistics Division, World Bank, and World Health Organization, highlights global stagnation on several fronts:

• 2.1 billion people still lack access to clean cooking fuels and technologies in 2023.
• 666 million people globally remain without electricity access, most of them in rural Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Clean energy financing remains insufficient and unevenly distributed, with lower-income and island nations at risk of being left behind.

Clean Cooking: A Quiet Crisis

The report notes that, while the share of the global population with access to clean cooking increased from 64% in 2015 to 74% in 2023, progress is not fast enough to meet the 2030 goal. If current trends persist, 1.8 billion people will still rely on polluting fuels like wood, charcoal, and kerosene by the end of the decade.

Although the Philippines has not been singled out in the report, the country shares characteristics with the regions struggling most—namely, uneven adoption in rural areas and a continued reliance on biomass for cooking in many low-income households. Globally, “Sub-Saharan Africa continues to show a notably wider gap between urban and rural access, with 42% of the urban population having access compared with just 7% in rural areas,” the report states.

In the Philippines, LPG penetration remains limited in some rural provinces. While efforts are underway to expand access to LPG, induction cookers, and biogas systems through various Department of Energy programs, national statistics still lack granularity on fuel usage by income segment and geography—an issue the report also flags as critical.

“With just five years left to achieve universal access to clean cooking under SDG 7, urgent action is needed,” the report warns. “Governments and stakeholders across sectors need to scale up investments, prioritize vulnerable populations, and integrate clean cooking into broader energy access efforts”.

Beyond the Grid: The Role of Decentralized Solar

The Philippines, as an archipelagic country with over 7,600 islands, faces unique challenges in reaching its remaining unelectrified communities. According to the DOE, many of these areas fall under missionary electrification or are classified as unviable for standard grid expansion.

The SDG 7 report reaffirms the importance of off-grid and mini-grid solutions in such contexts. “Off-grid solar is the most cost-effective solution for 41% of people without access to electricity,” the report states. Between 2020 and 2022, 55%of new electricity connections in Sub-Saharan Africa came from decentralized renewable energy systems, including mini-grids and solar home kits.

In the Philippines, several Qualified Third Party (QTP) arrangements and solar mini-grid projects have been piloted, but financing, policy clarity, and scalability remain barriers. The report emphasizes that DRE systems “can usually be deployed faster than grid extension at a lower cost per connection,” and also offer opportunities to “attract both private and public sector finance”.

Financing and Equity Still Lagging

Despite gains in technology and policy consensus, the report notes that international public financial flows to support clean energy in developing countries—especially for clean cooking and DRE—are still inadequate. While 2023 saw a 29% increase in such flows (reaching USD 21.6 billion), least-developed countries received only a small share of these investments, and most flows were in the form of debt, not grants.

For the Philippines, this trend reinforces the importance of tapping into global climate finance mechanisms, while also improving domestic coordination to attract private sector participation in clean energy initiatives.

The Way Forward for the Philippines

While the country is not in the bottom tier globally in terms of energy access, the report provides timely guidance for areas that require policy focus:

• Accelerate clean cooking programs under a unified national roadmap.
• Expand decentralized electrification models in off-grid and remote communities.
• Improve local data collection on household energy use and affordability.
• Leverage public-private partnerships for financing inclusive energy access.

With the 2030 deadline looming, the window for action is narrowing. The Tracking SDG 7 report serves not just as a scoreboard, but as a call to action—for countries like the Philippines to go beyond headline access numbers and ensure that energy access is truly universal, equitable, and sustainable.

What should be the Philippines’ next steps to close the clean cooking and last-mile energy access gaps? Share your insights with us.

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