Upbeat149 million people now get their power from solar that never touches a grid — up 31 million in two years
The World Bank's energy programme ESMAP and industry association GOGLA launched their Off-Grid Solar Market Trends Report 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda, this week. The number of people using solar home systems, pumps, lanterns and other off-grid products rose 26% in two years, from 118 million to 149 million — and 95% of surveyed customers said their systems were still working four or more years after purchase. Some 7.4 million people use the power to run a small business, and the sector employs 219,000 people, most of them local agents and technicians. For at least 398 million of the 655 million people still without electricity, the report finds, off-grid solar is the cheapest way to reach them.
SDG 7 · Affordable and clean energy — Mechanism: market force