While more than a billion people have gained access to electricity since 2010, and prices for clean energy technology have fallen dramatically in recent years, 789 million people worldwide still lacked access as of 2018, and many more suffer from poor service quality, including frequent and long power outages.

Today, many developing countries are in the process of creating policy, legal and regulatory frameworks necessary to attract private investment in clean energy, increase energy efficiency, and expand access. USAID works with these countries across all aspects of the energy sector to build strong systems that can power global economic and social development.