Energy for All

As energy is the source of all life, so modern energy can be the source of a better life for all. The IEA World Energy Outlook (WEO) has focused attention on modern energy access for a decade, providing the international community with quantitative, objective analysis. This report, a special early excerpt of World Energy Outlook 2011, tackles the critical issue of financing the delivery of universal modern energy access. Modern energy services are crucial to human well-being and to a country's economic development. And yet, globally, over 1.3 billion people are without access to electricity, and 2.7 billion people are without clean cooking facilities. More than 95% of these people are either in sub-Saharan Africa or developing Asia, and 84% in rural areas.