149 million people now get their light from off-grid solar — up 26% in just two years

The solar lantern on a farmhouse table has quietly become infrastructure. The Off-Grid Solar Market Trends Report 2026, released by the World Bank Group's ESMAP programme and industry association GOGLA at a forum in Kigali, counts 149 million people now using off-grid solar products — up 26% from 118 million in 2023. The systems light homes, pump farm water, keep clinics open and power small businesses in places the grid has not reached; 7.4 million people use them to run a microenterprise, and customers have gained an estimated $28 billion in income and savings over 15 years. 'Off-grid solar has proven it can deliver at scale, through shocks, and in places the grid has not reached,' said GOGLA's executive director Sarah Malm. The report finds it is the cheapest way to bring electricity to at least 398 million more people.

SDG 7 · Affordable and clean energy — Mechanism: market force