Goal 7 | Indicator 7.1.2 Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technologies

Exposure to indoor air pollutants can lead to a wide range of adverse health outcomes ranging from eye conditions to respiratory illnesses and cancer. Members of households who rely on the use of polluting fuels and devices also suffer a higher risk of burns, poisoning, and musculoskeletal injuries. It is estimated that approximately three quarters (74% [UI 70-77]) of the global population were primarily using clean fuels and technologies for cooking in 2023, up from one half (49% [UI 45 to 53]) in 2000.

In all WHO regions, urban populations have systematically had greater access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking in the past two decades. The biggest improvement in coverage was in the South-East Asia Region, which experienced an eight-fold increase in its rural areas and a doubling in its urban areas. Coverage in the rural areas of the Western Pacific Region more than tripled between 2000 and 2023. Coverage has remained lowest in the African Region: only 8% [7-10]) of its rural population and 46% [42-50] of its urban population could rely primarily on clean fuels and technologies for cooking in 2023.